Iron Girl Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Columbia, Maryland
United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
 		Total Time = 2h 46m 30s
Overall Rank = 1459/1657
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 41/68
Run
  • 2h 46m 30s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 12m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

Not much else to say. Everyone said that if I could do 10, I could do 13 - I was more worried about how little sleep I got last week, and especially the night before, but this run wasn't nearly as painful as the 10 just a few weeks before - go figure!
What would you do differently?:

Not a damn thing. Maybe could've run a little faster, but didn't care enough to try - more focused on steady and not aggravating anything. Probably should've iced & rolled daily the week prior, but...
Post race
Warm down:

Realized that walking - and standing! - were far more painful than the run had been, so tried to keep moving. Got a post-race massage from probably the softest (weakest) hands there. Oh well. Sorry to make the family wait for just that!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not really relevant. Accomplished exactly what I'd wanted - finished, ran just about all of it, and even faster than expected.

Event comments:

I love Columbia Tri Association races - love their staff, and so well organized. All the MMTC and Team Fight support - not to mention spouse & daughter's! - made for another warm/fuzzy race day. The swag for this inaugural race was pretty sweet, too - pandora-like bracelet with our own race bead, along with the usual medal & t-shirt. Was handed a race shirt autographed by Joan Benoit Samuelson when I was thanking Vigo, which was pretty cool, too. Not sure if I'll ever want to do this again - not sure I ever want to run this far after the HIM, so we'll see - but if I ever wanted to stick with 13.1's, this would be a keeper.




Last updated: 2011-09-26 12:00 AM
Running
02:46:30 | 13.1 miles | 12m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 41/68
Overall: 1459/1657
Performance: Good
uploaded my garmin, which of course was not accurate (poor 910xt). My goal pace was between 13-13:30; my LSD pace this past winter in SDP has been 13:15, and since I'd never run more than 10 miles before this (and that only once), figured the LSD pace was a safe bet. Went to the very back of the pack, and so many of course went out too fast...while other pokeys went way up so as to get a head start on the sweep vehicles. At any rate, maintained a really steady 12:34 pace for the first half to 2/3. Stopped once around 4-5 miles when I found a clump of bushes - came so close to knocking on doors before that! - and found another bush around mile 11 or so. Ran all the hills, except bottom of Harriet Tubman when I scooped up the wayward puppy (then rescued by a spectator so I could keep running), and then the top third when I figured it just wasn't worth how hard it was... oh yeah, then once again to reconnect the earbuds that got unplugged during one of my bush stops. Ran music-free til about mile 8 or 9, then enjoyed the distractions. Stretched at all the water stops, which I walked while drinking. Picked up the pace a little for the last 1/3-1/2, averaging 12:23 on my watch at the end. Felt pretty good about that, never breathed hard until that stupid hill & then the push at the end.
Course: Hills weren't nearly as hilly as I'd expected, which was a pleasant surprise. All those Lake Needwood runs must've paid off, bc they really seemed more like rollers to me, until the anticipated Harriet Tubman - longer and steeper than the others. Still, never bad. There was one stretch of narrow road where it slanted down to the left, such that I ran pretty far wide of the cones & hoped no cars came. Really needed portopotties at a couple of places - especially in a half marathon targeting women! - but the CTA staff recognized that, too. Tons of volunteers keeping cars at bay, lots of police support, and was pleasantly surprised by all the folks hanging out in their driveways and windows watching us run. Very positive, enthusiastic folks - lots of cheering and encouragement along the course, which was really nice.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %up
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
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