Adidas Vancouver Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada
50F / 10C
Precipitation
 		Total Time = 2h 16m 21s
Overall Rank = 3555/
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 1845/3325
Pre-race routine:

I woke up early on Sunday morning, bounding out of bed with the wakeup call. I had had a fitfull night of sleep, but that's pretty normal before a "big race". I zipped to the window praying that the rain had stopped. Nope! Rain! Oh well...it is what it is, and it is raining.

Had my breakfast cookie and assembled my gear. Bring water? Don't bring water? Bring water? Don't bring water?

Bring water. That was a good decision.
Event warmup:

Roy and I arrived early and parked about four blocks from BC Place so we could get out early after the marathon. We walked in the rain with a lot of other runners. It took awhile to get to the start and we were surprised that Roy was able to walk right in and up to the starting line with me. He stood on the side while I seeded myself where I thought I should be. Turned out I seeded way behind my pace group! Oh well.
Run
  • 2h 16m 21s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

My run was great. I was having a bit of hip and knee soreness, but nothing major. In looking back at my lap data I can see that my first few miles weren't as fast as they could have been. I assume it was because we were running on city streets in the rain. I ran a race last year in the rain and I saw no less than six people bite it slipping on manhole covers, crosswalk lines, and slick spots on the street.

I did a negative split for the second half, which always makes me happy. I finished feeling strong. No residual tiredness through the rest of the day. In fact I felt like I'd just had a good, decent workout. Monday I was semi-sore, and Tuesday I had to end my spin class ten minutes early due to muscle fatigue, but that was my own fault. I need to learn to take it easy the days after long runs.
What would you do differently?:

I think I'd set up my Garmin a bit better so I could see lap data. It's the new 305 unit and the readout on interval runs is slightly different. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with my race. I maintained a steady pace even on the mile 8 hill. Eating and drinking were just right (thank goodness I brought my own water).
Post race
Warm down:

I was stupid in the warm down. I didn't stretch and I should have. I didn't eat right away, and I should have. I didn't have anything dry to change into, and I should have. Live and learn.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The rain, more than likely. A little nagging knee pain.

Event comments:

I was rather disappointed with this race this year. Last year I loved it. The expo was huge; it was half the size this year. The on course support was amazing, but the crowds were very thin this year. The lack of water stations at miles 9 and 11 were inexcusible. The food stations were well set up after the race, although I sure missed those spiced bagels with pieces of candied fruit!

I probably won't do Vancouver next year, but I'm sure I'll do at least the half one more time. I do love the Vancouver area, but this race is overpriced and this year it was underwhelming. Too bad! I hope it improves next year. Don't get me wrong, I still had a great time...but it was more a function of just letting go and enjoying the day than anything else.




Last updated: 2006-05-09 12:00 AM
Running
02:16:21 | 13.1 miles | 10m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 1845/3325
Overall: 3325/
Performance: Good
Total Time (h:m:s) 2:18:13 10:05 pace Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:12:52 9:42 pace Distance (mi ) 13.68 Moving Speed (mph) 6.2 avg. 15.4 max. Elevation Gain (ft) +4,919 / -4,916 Avg. Heart Rate 147 bpm Zone 4.0 Temperature (°F) 48.9°F avg. 50°F high Wind Speed ( mph) SSE 15.9 avg. SSE 21.9 max. GPS Signal Quality Poor GPS Unit Elevatio
Course: The course started at BC Place Stadium and took us through the industrial part of the city at first. We plodded through Chinatown to the alarm of more than one person out for an early morning walk. Gastown came next. Gastown is a funky little part of Vancouver with cobblestone streets and cute little shops. Next we ran along the waterfront. Unfortunately the water was grey and foreboding looking on this drizzly day! The rain for the first five miles was wicked! I tried to miss puddles, but after awhile it was fruitless. The next section of the race took us into Stanley Park along the water, a really beautiful area. Roy and I had run there the night before so I was very familiar with this part of the course. Crowds were thin, but they were there cheering us on! As we exited Stanley Park there was a water station with no water! Well thank goodness I'd brought my own! I almost hadn't because my back can be tweaked by even a light waist pack, but at the last minute I grabbed it. Here we were at mile nine, no water. I downed some of my own and looked around to see if anyone else seemed to be in dire need. Most people were not running with water. I almost finished my third bottle (I use a fuel belt type system), but decided to wait on it. Another water station would be up in two miles. Two miles came and went and we ran past some tables with cups, but again no water! Inexcusible for a long race such as this. The race ended back at BC place. I missed hearing my name as I crossed the finish line, but Roy heard it and saw me. He waved and I waved and grinned. He gestured for me to meet him at the end. I normally am not that interested in the mylar blanket at the end of a race, but this time I was looking for them! As soon as I stopped, I was freezing! Someone handed me a medal...no pomp and circumstance there...guess I can put it around my neck myself. Was that "congratulations" you said? Oh...no, I guess I misheard. That was decidedly unfun. A nice girl cut me timing chip off and I went in search of mylar. I finally found some girls standing against a fence pulling them out of torn bags, only they were just plastic sheets not mylar. It warmed up for about five minutes while my body was still generating extra heat from the effort of the run, but as soon as my heart rate returned to normal I was freezing again. Somehow I missed Roy so I went into the airlock. One thing I do like about Vancouver is that no families are allowed in the post-race area where the food is. Nothing frosts me more than seeing some family with mom, grandma, aunt Velma, and 23 kids stuffing their faces post race food. In a race in February two kids stood at one table and filled their pockets with candy set out for the runners (they had not run), leaving an empty bowl. Dad stood right there and when I commented that that food was for the runners, and that he should take his kids to the grocery store if they needed pockets of candy, he just scoffed and walked off. Nice. But I digress. After grabbing a bag of food; I went out to find Roy. Mistake. I should have eaten something, but I thought I could find him easily and then eat in the car. An hour later I was stumbling around freezing in my plastic sheet, near tears, because I couldn't find him. Finally I found him in the very place he met me last year after the full marathon! What a relief!
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? No
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3