Go! St. Louis Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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St. Louis, Missouri
United States
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 58m 21s
Overall Rank = 2337/10702
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 197/488
Pre-race routine:

We had company the night before so my pre-race meal was a cookout. T-bone steaks, baked potatoes, chicken and shrimp ka-bobs and a few adult neverages. Got to bed a little after 10 and woke up at 4:45 feeling pretty good.

Ate a banana and yogurt about 2 hours before the race. Had a cup of coffee and some water. My friend Craig drove to the race. I was giving him pointers about things I usually do for half marathons (I'm an expert given this was my second one ever :-)). Arrived about an hour before the race.
Event warmup:

Just some light stretching while waiting in line for the port-a-potty. I was hoping to get a short jog in but the line for the potty took 25 minutes. They definitely could have doubled the number.

Ate a Gu about 10 minutes before the race.
Run
  • 1h 58m 21s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

They really had people crammed in at the start of the race. I'm not sure why they had the fences so close together. I wanted to start off with a pace group. Had to climb the fence to get close.

I started off a little fast but kept a conversational pace. I ran with my friend Craig for the first 8 miles. It worked out well since he had a garmin and I missed seeing most of the mileage signs. I ate a Gu and grabbed some water at the mile 4 aid station. I never really feel a boost from it but know I need something. About mile 5, I got a painful stitch in my side. Where did that come from? No cramps like that ever during training. I wasn't even sure what to do. So I pushed on it while trying to take deep breaths. Seemed to work but it was painful. The pain came back briefly during a couple of uphill portions.

At the mile 8 aid station I took another Gu and had some water. I need to learn how to drink water while I run.

My goal was 2 hours and about 1:20 in, I new on was still on pace if I could keep from fading. At mile 10, I was still feeling pretty good then the 2 hour pace group caught me so I new I was fading. I looked at my watch and starting counting down the minutes until the end. I picked up the pace slightly and just kept counting down the minutes. About a mile out I saw someone in really bad shape, looked like he passed out and some bystanders were trying to trnd to him. I hope he recovered and finished. That would suck to run 12 miles and not finish.

The last mile was tough. Where do people get the energy to sprint the last mile? I had nothing left in the tank. I was very happy to cross the finish line specially below my time goal.
What would you do differently?:

Wear a tee-shirt instead of a long sleeve running jacket. I was pretty warm by the end.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked through the exit area and ate a banana and drank a bottle of water. Worked my way through the crowds and walked a couple blocks to meet up with Craig and Tom then swapped war stories while taking in more water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I would like to put more mileage in before my next half and see if that improves my time. I'm not complaining, last year I ran it in 2:08:02 so I improved by almost 10 minutes! The triathlon training has definitely helped my endurance.

Event comments:

The race is very well done (more port-a-pottys and a wider race start next year please). The volunteers were very helpful and pleasant. I made sure to thank many of them.




Last updated: 2009-12-14 12:00 AM
Running
01:58:21 | 13.1 miles | 09m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 197/488
Overall: 2337/10702
Performance: Good
Average HR was 178.
Course: Pretty nice course through downtown St. Louis. Some long hills.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %1%
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? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4