Lowell Sun Half-Marathon - Run


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Lowell, Massachusetts
United States
Bay State Marathon
55F / 13C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 2h 13m 37s
Overall Rank = 677/807
Age Group = 40-49
Age Group Rank = 81/107
Pre-race routine:

Got up and showered. Had a small bowl of cheerios and blueberries. And coffee.

Waited for tri-team mate Barbara to pick me up at 6:30
Event warmup:

a bit of stretching while waiting in the bathroom lines. The event staging area was in the Paul Tsongas arena, so we were indoors, protected by the elements (it was extremely windy, blustery, chilly in the a.m.) Also, we got to watch kids play hockey.
Run
  • 2h 13m 37s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 12s  min/mile
Comments:

This was my first half-marathon, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I kept a fairly consistent pace @ 9:40 - 9:50. Felt comfortable, making sure I kept enough energy in reserve to finish the race. Had a gel @ 15 minutes before the start, and then two more during the race. Good water stops staffed by energetic teens. But only 1 porta potty on the whole course, for over 800 people!

I lost about five minutes waiting to "go".

I kicked it up to about a 9minute pace the last two miles. The finish line was the coolest part. We entered La Lechure (spelling?) ball park where the Lowell Spinners, a A baseball team affiliated with the Red Sox, play (our family has been to several games, there. Fun baseball without costing you an arm and leg)

After entering the park, we ran around the warning track and the finish line was at the Spinners' dugout. Spectators were in the stands. It was cool!
What would you do differently?:

"go" behind a tree?
Post race
Warm down:

Some stretching

Ate a banana, two PB & J sandwiches and a cup of really good soup.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

It was extremely windy. Half the course there was a head wind, the other hald a tail wind, with cross winds when crossing over the river.

Event comments:

I'll be back next year!




Last updated: 2005-09-14 12:00 AM
Running
02:13:37 | 13.1 miles | 10m 12s  min/mile
Age Group: 81/107
Overall: 677/807
Performance: Good
Course: Mostly flat double loop along and across the Merrimack River.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4