Mardi Gras Marathon - RunMarathon


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New Orleans, Louisiana
United States
Premier Event Management
65F / 18C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 4h 27m 6s
Overall Rank = 142/369
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Rank is among women, since that's how the results were posted. They didn't post by age group, so I don't know how I did there.

I had some trouble sleeping the night before, but the night before that was ok so I think I was rested enough. I got up at 0530, had some coffee to get my bowels moving (TMI, huh?), then I had a bunch of water, a cinnamon raisin english muffin, and a South Beach protein granola bar. We showed up at the race start about 1/2 hour before the scheduled start and waited around to start
Event warmup:

Walked to the starting line from the hotel.
Run
  • 4h 27m 6s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

I started off at a slower pace than I wanted, mostly because of the amount of people in a limited road area. After a while I fell into pace with the 4:00 pace group, but lost them just before the halfway point. My stomach got a little upset around mile 15, so I had to slow down a little. I did end up walking sporadically during the last 8 miles or so, but I don't think I could've finished much faster than I did. I put everything I had into that race!
What would you do differently?:

I NEED to get my nutrition down better. My stomach gets upset when I eat and run, so I have to figure out what food will keep it settled the most.
Post race
Warm down:

Stretched, drank Gatorade and water, and waited for other people to finish!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Stomach and back pain were limiting factors, but thank goodness I only ended up with 2 really big blisters this time. I stopped and stretched my back and legs a lot, so that probably made me a lot slower.

Event comments:

What an experience! I loved it!! There were so many cool things to see in New Orleans, and what better way than by running past them? :-) There were so many encouraging spectators on the course that it took my mind away from the pain in my legs. All in all, it was a great first marathon!




Last updated: 2006-11-26 12:00 AM
Running
04:27:06 | 26.2 miles | 10m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 142/369
Performance: Average
Finished the first half in 1:58:24, so the 2nd half was a lot slower. I wasn't wearing my HRM, so I have no HR data.
Course: Flat, fast course, although the roads were cracked and full of potholes, so I had to expend a lot of energy dodging the holes. That's the only real complaint I had. The volunteers were great, the residents in the neighborhoods were cheery and welcoming, and there was a general laid-back atmosphere that was great for a first marathon! There was no shortage of spectators, either...including the red dress guys at one of the aid stations! There were plenty of stations, although port-o-potties became scarce after the halfway point (when I needed them most!).
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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