Southern Indiana Classic Marathon and Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Evansville, Indiana
United States
58F / 14C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 45m 22s
Overall Rank = 92/973
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 3/33
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4:30 am to get a couple cups of coffee in me bright and early. I was still a little full from the snacks the eve before so I didn't eat anything before the race with the exception of a Clif Bar I split with Tyler on the 45 minute drive to the race site.
Event warmup:

Tyler and I arrived at the 4h Fairgrounds about 20 minutes prior to the race which was scheduled to start at 7am. We spent about 10 minutes prepping our bib numbers and D-tags and paid a quick visit to the porta pottie row and walked to the starting line. We slipped into the starting chute about 20 feet back from the front of the group. Our goal was not to have to stand around too much before the race and we managed to accomplish that only having to wait about 5 minutes at the starting line. Warm up over and we're off!
Run
  • 1h 45m 22s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

Tyler and I ran very comfortably the first 11 miles (additionally, we ran in minimal shoes) I only had one heal strike the entire race and Tyler mentioned he only had a few. We were concerned that we went out too fast but I'm glad we trusted our RPE and stayed the pace.
What would you do differently?:

Pack my own nutrition or make damn sure its gonna be out on the course.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked a few minutes and stretched the calves and Achilles which (after running in minimal shoes) makes the next day more tolerable. Headed for wonderful post race snack department and consumed 3 bananas, 3 granola bars and a bagel. Had a couple conversations with some friends and headed home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I only have been logging about 20 miles per week so although I had somewhat of a base I believe I would need to increase it to push harder at this distance. Additionally, I have not done any interval work in decades so I wasn't really sure of my limitations. Based on my results today, I have probably been training too easy.

Event comments:

For me this race was epic. I had been on the couch for over two decades, smoked 12 years and never raced this distance. Two years ago I quit smoking, started biking, then last year started triathlon. I have dropped over 30 pounds, and have my first HIM in 3 months. BUT the best part of my whole race was running beside my 16 year old son every step of the way. He gave a monumental effort to finish with me and put 7 seconds on me in the last 100 yards. He had never ran a road race and his longest training run was 8 miles. Tyler placed 3rd in his age group and I placed 3rd in mine. We were both in disbelief when we found that out. I am grateful I have become a better example to him and very proud of my son!


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Last updated: 2010-02-03 12:00 AM
Running
01:45:22 | 13.1 miles | 08m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/33
Overall: 92/973
Performance: Good
Tyler and I clocked consistent 7:50 - 8:00 miles with the exception of mile 9 and mile 11. Prior to the race we had planned to stay at an 8:15 to 8:30 pace for the 1st 6 or 7 miles then try to pick it up from there. However, we both stayed relaxed and the sub 8 miles just kept on coming. Mile 9 got my heart rate up close to 180 which was just a bit past my comfort threshold, I backed off for a half mile and was able to regain speed. Mile 11 was tough for both myself and Tyler. It was a very long slight uphill grade and fatigue was setting in for both of us. The final 1.1 miles began with a long slight downhill which was probably our saving grace as we got enough momentum back to wrench out the last half mile and finish strong. Tyler kicked into high gear with about 100 yds to go and beat the ole man by 7 seconds. (Tyler is my 16 year old son)
Course: The course was very nice in my opinion. There are a few moderate rolling hills during the first 2 1/2 miles but after the course gracefully ascends and descends. The temp was perfect for racing, (between 50 and 60 degrees) and clear skies through rural areas north of Evansville. Water and Powerade stations were plentiful as was the volunteers and entertainment. My only complaint was they did not have GU Gels at mile 5 as stated in the pre-race information (and I was banking on them being there). Tyler and I both started to bonk at mile 11 ans this may have been a contributing factor. We took it in stride however and did the best we could
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
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? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4