St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Memphis, Tennessee
United States
St. Jude Memphis Marathon
45F / 7C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 2h 05m 16s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Up at 4:30 AM. Had waffles, banana and OJ for breakfast and started drinking gatorade (20 oz) very slowly.
Had to pick up my friend at 5:30 and then headed downtown. Found a great parking spot close to Autozone Park. Checked bag in and started stretching and getting loose (We had a plenty of time). Finished my gatorade and started walking around Autozone park for a while as a warm up. Finally headed to corral at 7:30. Quick pit stop and all set
Event warmup:

Some stretching and walking for a while. I actually found a good video at the USAT website that showed how to get ready for a race by "activating" your harmstrings and quads prior to a race. I have done the same routine for two or three long runs before with good results, so I went through the same drill
Run
  • 2h 05m 16s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

I decided to place myself in corral number 9. The idea was to start slow, get to a nice 10 min/mile pace in the first two-three miles and speed up from there. Passing and waiving was a lot of fun for the first couple of miles, then right after the hill from River Front to Beale to Third, I settled into what I felt was a good pace. To my own surprise, my splits at that time were all in the 9:30 - 9:40 per mile. Happy!!
First GU at mile 4 and started drinking half a cup of poweraid at every other aid station.
Second GU at mile 9 and kept the same drinking pattern. Felt great and my pace was very stable.
Saw DW and oldest DD at mile 10 - that was awesome. After that, I tried to run the remainder 3.1 in less that 27 min ... did not happen. But still felt great!!
Crossed the finish line on left field of Autozone Park in 2:05 when all predictions said I should finish in 2:20 - 2:30.
What would you do differently?:

Run faster. Need to start incorporating speed work during training. Goal is to run next HM (next St. Jude) in the 1:45 - 1:55 range ... let's see.
Post race
Warm down:

Got my finisher medal, my space blanket and a bottle of water. did quite a bit of stretching sitting right behind shortstop and enjoyed the whole atmosphere. All of a sudden I hear a huge roar ... the marathon winner was just crossing the finish line ... oh well. Checked my bag out; skipped the food, met DW and DD inside the stadium talk to them for a little while, went to the basement and hit the showers (such a nice token being able to use the home team locker room and get into clean, dry, warm clothes). All set and done, took DW and DD to Dennys for lunch.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of experience running this distance. Although I am very happy with my performance and looking forward to a PR next year.

Event comments:

The organizers did a great job. Plenty of aid stations and lots of support. The atmosphere is great. I mean, where else you would start your race listening to Elvis as you cross the starting line? Fantastic event.




Last updated: 2010-11-16 12:00 AM
Running
02:05:16 | 13.1 miles | 09m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: Elevation: 210 to 310 feet; rolling hills With the race beginning (and ending) in Downtown Memphis, participants will pass many of the city’s most popular landmarks and attractions including the Mississippi River, Beale Street, Sun Studio (where Elvis Presley first recorded), the National Civil Rights Museum and the campus of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Runners will experience a dynamic finish at AutoZone Park, home of the Redbirds, Memphis' AAA baseball team.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4