Shamrock Marathon - Run


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Virginia Beach, Virginia
United States
J&A Racing
40sF / 0C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 5h 12m 21s
Overall Rank = 2226/2781
Age Group = F 40-44
Age Group Rank = 150/213
Pre-race routine:

Drove down to the Beach on Saturday afternoon, went through packet pick-up and the expo. Then went out to dinner - replicated my pre-race dinner from Patriot's HIM (pizza, wine, dessert)...hey, it worked then. Back to the hotel to relax and sleep. Up early - the marathon didn't start until 8:30a, but the half was at 7:00 and I didn't want to park 100 miles away, so I drove in and parked. Sat in the car hydrating & visiting the bathroom for a couple hours, then headed out into the cold to await the start. Larabar & Starbucks energy drink in hotel, applesauce in car, applesauce right before race start.
Event warmup:

Trying to stay warm. Waiting in the bathroom line - didn't want a repeat of my last half where I had to pee in the first two miles...
Run
  • 5h 12m 21s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 11m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

Great run through 14. Real proud of myself. Not jazzed about the tummy issues after the halfway point. Got a boost from my Masters coach around mile 15 and caught back up to the 5:00 pace group until the calf cramp @ 18. Did my best from 18-23. Mind struggles 23-25. Strong finish.

Hey, I wanted sub-5:00...but that's OK. It is still 27 minutes faster than my Charlottesville mary time from 2009. :) Next time - sub-5:00

(5:07 run time; 5 minutes spent waiting for the porta-potties...)
What would you do differently?:

Figure out what is up with these calf cramps. Getting kind of tired of those. I did buy some cute new compression socks (pink with butterflies) at the expo.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked through the long finish chute picking up all my stuff. Pretty nice swag, although I ran out of hands and got banana on my new hat. :( Hopefully it will wash off easy. Plus my medal was backwards during my finisher pic...gotta do better volunteer lady - I was a little out of it and didn't notice.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Calf cramps, tummy issue, mental struggle at 23.

Event comments:

J&A rocks. Plenty of volunteers. Lots of support on the course. Great spectators. Love the swag. I'd done the half before, I'll be back for the full again!


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Last updated: 2013-11-17 12:00 AM
Running
05:12:21 | 26.2 miles | 11m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 150/213
Overall: 2226/2781
Performance: Average
Sub 11 through 14 miles, bad mile between 14-15 (stomach ache), low 11s through 18, calf cramp...slowed way down, but still woggled. Got bummed around mile 23 - realized I wasn't likely to break 5, so I did a lot more walking...mile 24-25 was horrible, but then ran it in for the last 1.2 miles. (Data @ Garmin training center)
Course: Figure 8 loop; south (with the wind) down to the reserve base - gotta love cheering service people, then north, including along boardwalk (WINDY), along Atlantic with great spectators, through First Landing park (pretty), then through Fort Story (WINDY WINDY WINDY...but again, service people rock). Back south down Atlantic with the wind, and then the last mile on the Boardwalk (WINDY). Did I mention it was WINDY?
Keeping cool Average 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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5