Long Beach Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Long Beach, California
United States
RUN Racing
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 51m 35s
Overall Rank = 981/9836
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 127/569
Run
  • 1h 51m 35s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 31s  min/mile
Comments:

This was a very crowded race. Due to our late arrival (traffic), we started in the very last wave. This was the first race that I had a running partner(not planned). This was his first half and my second, so it was nice to have a partner to push each other. It took about 3 miles before the course thinned out for a bit. As soon as we hit the boardwalk, we had to weave in and out of traffic for about another 2-3 miles. It finally opened up on the back half of the course. At mile 12 I felt my right quad tighten up, so I took it back a notch until we hit the 13 mile marker, then I pushed through the finish.
What would you do differently?:

Arrive earlier to avoid starting way back. A lot of time and energy was wasted weaving in and out of traffic. Also, hit the GU on emore time around mile 10.
Post race
Warm down:

After we finished, we walked around, got our bananas, muffins, medals and thermal warmers. I stretched out my legs, especially my right quad, as I waited for the rest our group to finish. I started feeling bloated as we waited. I also started to develope a headache. The traffic leaving was just as bad as when we arrived. Having to endure stop and go driving, as well as detours galore, it took us almost an hour just to get to our meeting/eating place that was approximately 9 miles away. The car ride didn't help my headache or bloated feeling. As soon as we reached the restraunt, I had to jump out of the car for fresh air and a quick bathroom run. I popped 2 Advils as soon as we got our food...10 mins later I felt like I could've run another Half Marathon :)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I don't think I hydrated enough, which might have been the reason for my right quad feeling as if it were about to cramp up towards the end of the race. It could also be why I was hit with a headache as soon as I finished.

Event comments:

Although the course was very flat and scenic, the crowds made it difficult to maintain a steady pace until the second half of the race. The pre and post traffic was horrible.




Last updated: 2011-01-16 12:00 AM
Running
01:51:35 | 13.1 miles | 08m 31s  min/mile
Age Group: 127/569
Overall: 981/9836
Performance: Good
Course: This course is extremely flat, however since most of the first half is spent running on the boardwalk, there's a lot of concrete, which takes it's toll later in the run. Also, if you get stuck in the later waves, the boardwalk gets pretty tight with the slower runners and walkers, therefore a lot tim ena denergy is spent weave in and out of traffic. There are a ton of runneres at this race. I believe there were approximately 22K runners for both the Full and Half.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
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