Long Branch Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

I started with one of the two hour pacing groups, figuring that I would stick with them until the crowd thinned a bit. He brought us up almost to the start line because he wanted the net time to be under two hours, not just our chip time. When we started, he was so fast that I could not keep up with him (probably about a 7 minute mile), so that didn't even last 15 seconds. I dropped back and a few racers passed with their Garmins and said they were doing an 8 minute pace, so I dropped back some more and found my own pace. That was the last time I saw that particular two hour pacer, but the pacing group that started more towards the back caught up with me around mile 6. I decided to keep them in sight, because as long as I could see them up ahead, I knew I'd make my 2:10 goal.

Nothing really eventful happened during the race, which I'm taking as a sign that I trained well. I stuck to the plan of drinking every 10-15 minutes and taking a Gu every 45 minutes. Although I only trained with regular Gatorade, I did drink some Gatorade Endurance at two fluid stations. Fortunately, I didn't find the taste as revolting as it had seemed during my long runs. At mile 9 I started to feel a little stiff and fatigued, but fortunately there was a station stocked with candy, Gu, and oranges. I grabbed an orange slice with my water, and this was the best tasting orange I have ever had. At mile 10, I felt as if I had gotten a second wind, although my splits don't really reflect that. This was the point where I started consistently passing people, so I knew I was running a smart race. At some point during the last three miles, the lead full marathoners started coming through on their first loop, and it was great to see these guys fly by looking so natural. It was inspiring to think about how hard they worked to get there. How hard we all worked to get where we were, actually. There was great crowd support throughout, but especially during the last two miles when it was most needed.

Okay, now I'm going to toot my own horn. I am absolutely THRILLED with my performance. My plan was to run 9:30 miles, and I was concerned that this would be a reach. Tapering is GOOD. Anyway, The numbers show that I am in the top 25% of all female racers, and within the top third of women in my age group. There is so much room for improvement, too. During the race the only thing I remember thinking was "I am only counting to nine today" (as in no mile splits over nine something). I look forward to doing this again, but only needing to count to eight.

Nothing. Despite the pacer being way off, starting up front worked well for me because I didn't have to worry about weaving around people.

Walked and stretched for a few minutes while chatting with some of my family. Drank water. Walked back to the car.


I probably could have gotten more sleep the few nights before, but that's really all I can think of.


This race is a little pricey, but it really was worth every penny. The crowd support was good, the ocean start and finish were dramatic, and the volunteers were great. I will most likely do this race or the full marathon next year.