Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Competitor Group, Inc.
80F / 27C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 58m 47s
Overall Rank = 2725/14986
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 364/1112
Pre-race routine:

Up at 3:30ish, usual race breakfast of powerbar, wheaties fuel and gatorade. Out the door around 4:30 - drove to brother's neighborhood, parked (avoided $$$ Grant Park garages!), and rode mountain bike to Grant Park. This worked out very well!
Event warmup:

Short bike ride from near NW side to Grant Park. Walked around to find gear check.
Run
  • 1h 58m 47s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 04s  min/mile
Comments:

Treated this as a long, slow distance training run getting back in the groove after IM 70.3 Racine. I'm actually surprised I was able to run given it was only a week after Racine and I had a nasty encounter with a fallen tree on my bike ride the previous morning. Did a good job of running slow and walking the aid stations. Until the last 5k when I picked up the pace in order to finish sub-2:00. I wanted a little redemption from Racine. Wore my Nathan water belt (4 bottles) with water in three and EFS liquid shot in the fourth. The gel bottle didn't work so well as it leaked - sticky! I took gatorade at the aid stations that had it and water at the others.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing much really, except not sign up for a 1/2 ironman a week prior to a HM! But oh, well, it was fun with all the bands along the course and a good expo.
Post race
Warm down:

Got a gatorade, water, etc. in the finish area then headed to gear check. Stretched out real good and waited around for some friends. Didn't find them so headed over to the post-party. Got in a long line for foam rolling, but it was worth it - always so much better when someone else rolls you out!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The 1/2 Ironman the week before, plus the bike crash the day before. No big deal - I was aware of these obstacles and wasn't trying to set a PR.

Event comments:

Fun race - definitely a do-it-again, maybe a little more rested/ready to go next time!




Last updated: 2012-07-02 12:00 AM
Running
01:58:47 | 13.1 miles | 09m 04s  min/mile
Age Group: 364/1112
Overall: 2725/14986
Performance: Good
Course: Flat, winding course through Chicago. It follows the marathon route for the first mile or so, I think.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4