Shamrock Sportsfest 1/2 Marathon - Run


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Virginia Beach, Virginia
United States
Shamrock Sportsfest
35F / 2C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 31m 58s
Overall Rank = 3031/3872
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 275/315
Pre-race routine:

Picked Trixie up at the airport the night before, and DB8 decided to sleep over too! So, it was me and the girls for a slumber party! Saturday morning we headed out to Va. Beach for a 3.5 hour road trip. By the 20-minute mark, I was fully immersed in the Trixie/DB8/fitphd "girl talk" and I regressed into that coma that a male driver on a long trip must go into for survival ... it's that look where you become silent, let your head tilt to the side as to deflect some of the headache-creating girl-squeals, and stare stright ahead, hoping to magically appear at the destination hours early! Next morning, I wake up at 3:15 a.m. with serious heartburn ... never really went back to sleep. Had coffee, water, a Cliff Bar an orange, and Advil (more for the road-trip hangover than anything). Because of the freezing temps and high wind coming off the ocean, poked holes in a garbage bag for a wind breaker.
Event warmup:

Walked to starting line; attempted to keep from getting frost bite! It was a real weenie-shrinker out there!
Run
  • 2h 29m 36s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

It was a crowded race (5,000 in a residential beach community), but no trouble at the start. I could set my own pace and not get shuffled along. However, I was feeling all charged up, and didn't follow my early run/walk schedule. I ran much longer between walk-breaks and paid for it in the later miles. My two friends left me within mile-1, so I was alone, which was good ... I could concentrate on my strategy. Somehow, though, I was feeling good and just kept running. The course was good, and I hung with the 2:30 pace group, planning to launch ahead of them later in the race and break 2:30 (which I did by mere seconds). Because I didn't walk enough early on, I was suffering in that last mile. I slowed down in that last mile, which I didn't like. The race was fun, though, and I enjoyed it for my first-ever road race.
What would you do differently?:

Walk more in the first miles so I would have better legs in the end.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked to beer tent; consumed beer until marathoners came in; went to cheer in DB8, Trixie and FitPhd; repeated walk to beer tent; consumed more beer.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I ran on the treadmill too much late in my training, and my legs felt it more from the impact of the road.

Event comments:

Everyone should do this race ... it was very well run, the volunteers made this race great, the support of the small crowds was cool ... the post-race party was GREAT ... tents on the beach, lots of beer and food, few lines, and the tent was so huge that we weren't all crowded in. Good bands at the post-race party too. What a fun time!




Last updated: 2005-09-02 12:00 AM
Running
02:29:36 | 13.1 miles | 11m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 275/315
Overall: 3031/3872
Performance: Average
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5