P.F. Changs Rock 'N' Roll Arizona Marathon - RunMarathon


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Phoenix, Arizona
United States
Competitor Group, Inc.
NICEF / 0C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 5h 04m 29s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Pre-race dinner: 6oz NY Strip, steamed broccoli, and roasted sweet potatoes

Woke up at 4:45am and had a plain bagel and a half 5-hour energy. Sipped on coconut water and showered. Stretched for about 15 minutes, then I put in the ear buds, shut my eyes and listened to music on the way to the starting line. After getting to the starting area I ate a banana and sipped on water
Event warmup:

Light jogging and stretching while waiting for the race to start...There was about a 30 minute delay so a lt of light stretching.
Run
  • 5h 04m 29s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 11m 37s  min/mile
Comments:

I felt pretty comfortable until around mile 19 or so...I felt my worst at around mile 22. I was able to push through, although there were a lot of times where I really wanted to walk. After I was less than 4 miles away I picked it up. It was a matter of dealing with the pain for less time more than it was causing myself more pain at that point. And when I got to that mile point I really picked it up...The crowd was great, my adrenaline was high. I was very happy to be done...
What would you do differently?:

Push myself a little harder at the earlier stages of race and finish with a little less in the tank. Also, get a training plan instead of just winging it like I did.
Post race
Warm down:

A little walking, some good stretching and ice for the left knee. Then to the finish line to cheer on my girlfriend as she crossed

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Being that this was my first marathon, I was afraid to push too hard and run out of fuel on the course. I had a lot left in the tank when I was done...

Event comments:

I was really close to only doing the half due to some training challenges and the fact that for some reason I thought the race was at the end of January. I posted a thread ( http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp... ) in here asking for advice and got some really good input. I wasn't going to do another one of these originally, but I'm signing up for next year's event with a better training approach and idea of what it takes. This was a great first experience and I recommend it to anyone looking to do a good novice course.




Last updated: 2011-10-04 12:00 AM
Running
05:04:29 | 26.2 miles | 11m 37s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Average HR: 150 Max HR: 182 Min HR: 112
Course: Very cool course going through all different types of neighborhoods. I saw parts of the city that I haven't seen after living here for over 13 years. The course was flat pretty much throughout, however, the one "hill" did come right around that 23 mile mark and I was not feeling it. I think it was a perfect course for a first marathon
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %??
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5