Frederick Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay - RunHalf Marathon


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Frederick, Maryland
United States
46F / 8C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 52m 7s
Overall Rank = 200/795
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 11/78
Pre-race routine:

Amazingly, I slept great. Not nervous at all. I think that looking at this as a fun race and not having any expectations for myself - I hoped to finish in about two hours but wasn't too concerned - helped me to be relaxed.
Event warmup:

Mostly jumped around and tried to keep warm! Walked a little, stood in line at different bathrooms.
Run
  • 1h 52m 7s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

Started out feeling great. First two miles were about 8:30's. At some point early on I saw the 3:45 marathon pacer and thought, OK, I can run this pace. I got a little ahead of him (though he caught up with me at the 10 mile mark, but then I got ahead again) and just thought, if I can stay ahead, even just a little, I'll have a good finish. At some point I started hoping for a 1:52. Funny how when you think you might be able to achieve a goal time, it really makes you work harder.

I must have slowed down somewhat before mile 6.4, where the timing mats were, because the race organization has my split as 56:03.10, a pace of 8:43 per mile. My finish split time was 56:20.80, a pace of 8:24 per mile. I wish I had a watch that kept split times. My guess is that I was slower from mile 6.4 through 10 but then kicked butt in the last 5K, because when I got to the 10 mile marker I realized how great I felt.
What would you do differently?:

Have more gel - I didn't carry my own and really needed a little more than I could squeeze down my throat on the course. Having some Gatorade helped though. It was so cool out that I skipped two of the water stops, and didn't feel thirsty. I may try just Gatorade next time and avoid the gel altogether.
Post race
Warm down:

Not enough stretching! Walked around, talked to my friend Jennifer.

Event comments:

Great race. Nice course, great volunteers, amenities good, post-race food and drink good. Only changes I would like are more gel on course. Water stations sufficient, well stocked and easy to navigate. Very competitive field, or maybe the course and conditions just made everyone really super fast!




Last updated: 2006-05-01 12:00 AM
Running
01:52:07 | 13.1 miles | 08m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 11/78
Overall: 200/795
Performance: Good
Course: Some rolling hills. Very nice downhills. Basically, an easy course with not too many turns or challenging hills. Also, beautiful weather. Perfect for running - clear, 50's - I ran in capris and a short sleeved shirt and it was perfect, I didn't feel hot and I think I barely sweated!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4