Mississippi Blues Marathon - RunMarathon


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Jackson, Mississippi
United States
Mississippi Track Club
45F / 7C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 26m 1s
Overall Rank = 349/665
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 13/33
Pre-race routine:

Got myself organized so I could be-wig myself with the pink hair, have some coffee, and eat some yogurt. Packed my gels in my little arm pocket.
Event warmup:

Just a quick walk from the Marriott where we met the Fleet Feet training group. Chilly morning, but not nearly as cold as last year, and a beautiful sunrise.
Run
  • 4h 26m 1s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 09s  min/mile
Comments:

I really got a good start on this. Eased into my pace, but didn't let myself take too long to get there. Wig didn't bother me (except for one stretch where the wind kept it in my face), and I felt like the miles were clicking off easily. Coming into mile 17 was a very long, tough hill, and that's where I started to feel wiped out. I had, at that point, dropped just under my goal pace, but that hill put the hurt on, and I slowed up into mile 18. This is where I knew it could get tricky. I had run 18 miles twice in training. Once at my pace, so in just over 3 hours. Once at the 12 min/mile group training pace, so just over 3:30. I didn't know what would get me...the distance or the time. My friend, Casey, met me just before the 18-mile mark. It was great, and gave me a bit of a lift initially to get that pace back down under 10 min/mile. In the end, it wasn't the distance that got me, it was the time. Right around 3:30 in, I was really slowing down and getting tired. But, except for one extra walk break, I managed to keep running, other than walking through the aid stations. Luckily, with Casey, even though I had slowed so much, the last miles "flew" by. I was glad for that finish line, glad that it was under 4:30, and glad that the medal didn't weigh anymore (biggest medal I've ever seen and heavy).
What would you do differently?:

Get those 20+ mile/4-hour runs in. And not take a 3-week hiatus in the middle of training.
Post race
Warm down:

Walking around and waiting for the rest of the Fleet Feet group to finish.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

18-mile runs are good...longer runs are better.

Event comments:

I want to make this an annual event since it's right outside my door and so well done. Not sure I want to train for January marathons, anymore, though. They never seem to go well. Maybe just the half or a relay. Or maybe train for a December marathon and then decide whether to do full or half on this one. Anyway, great event and great for Jackson, MS.




Last updated: 2010-09-07 12:00 AM
Running
04:26:01 | 26.2 miles | 10m 09s  min/mile
Age Group: 13/33
Overall: 349/665
Performance: Good
Course: Big loop through a surprisingly rolling city of Jackson. Course was different from last year. Reversed and the flat stretch on Lakeland Dr was replaced with more rolling hills in neighborhoods closer in to the city itself. So, despite the last 10k-ish being easier and flatter than previous years, legs were so beat up by that time, it didn't matter much to me. I like the course, though. Just don't let anyone tell you that Jackson, MS, is flat.
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] 5