Haunted Half - RunHalf Marathon


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Cookeville, Tennessee
United States
41F / 5C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 7h 00m
Overall Rank = /500+
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Event warmup:

Shivering from the 41 degree weather was my warm up.
Run
  • 2h 21m 54s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

Overall the race was super awesome and fun! This was my first half marathon! There were police, volunteers, and spectators EVERYWHERE. There were many people riding bikes throughout the course and they were all dressed up in seriously great costumes. The trees were beautiful orange and yellow. The 41 degree weather had my nose running faster than me but I was prepared with my kleenex. I was dressed JUST right and kept comfortable after the first 10 minutes into the race. At mile 12.3 I experienced some SIGNIFICANT quad cramps that I have never had before. The more I walked, the worse they got until I nearly thought I couldn't bend and straighten my legs and wondered if I could walk to the finish. Of course, there was a hill to get up right before the finish. I forced myself to jog because walking hurt too bad and it stretched them out and broke up the lactic acid a little.
What would you do differently?:

NOTHING. I am not happy with my time in consideration of my capabilities. BUT I do have to keep in mind that I did train for a half marathon ON MY LUNCH BREAKS and ONE two hour time frame on Sunday afternoons. I did the very best I could. I did not lose an ounce of time away from the best two year old in the universe in order to train! I dressed up and had fun with it. I got a little distracted at times and didn't keep up my pace, but that's ok. I only got to do one other mud run as my "prep" training race, I just didn't get to do any other runs because of several different reasons. My only other races were a 5k in Sept 2011 and a sprint triathlon in May 2012.
Post race
Warm down:

10 min stretching

What limited your ability to perform faster:

HAVING TO TRAIN ON MY LUNCH BREAK. No hill training. Quad cramps (I drank at every water station 2miles, and had several gel packs?). Training alone.

Event comments:

Super fun race! Very organized! Police and volunteers at every turn and intersection. The people on the bikes were ALL dressed up in good costumes which truly made it the HAUNTED HALF. Several photographers. I LOVE the t-shirt. I like my "bat bling" (a finishers medal). The pre-race expo was good with a lot of vendors. A ton of recovery food and drinks at the end of the race. The course was good, challenging (for me), and had good scenery.




Last updated: 2012-10-21 12:00 AM
Running
02:21:54 | 13.1 miles | 10m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/500+
Performance: Average
I was hoping to keep around a 10 min pace. First two miles were around 8:50, then gradually got longer. Longest mile was mile 11 at 11:51. Fastest pace during race was 7:37. I did not check my heart rate, but never felt out of breath.
Course: The course was awesome! It started at the college, went through town, neighborhoods and some country roads, golf course, then a long stretch in town back to the campus. One of my running routes was 2 mile circles and another route was through neighborhoods. I enjoyed running over a large distance of area. I also enjoyed running with people, since I have always had to run alone. Everyone's definition of "hills" is different, my opinion of this course is that the hills were moderately difficult in several areas, but also had a few short stretches of flat areas.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5