St. Cloud Earth Day Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
St. Cloud, Minnesota
United States
53F / 12C
Precipitation
Total Time = 1h 29m 2s
Overall Rank = 69/1582
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 8/122
Pre-race routine:

Nutrition: 1/2 PB Bagel, banana, gatorade, coffee. Short drive to event
Event warmup:

Met with Benihana before hand, and we talked shop.
Run
  • 1h 29m 2s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 06m 48s  min/mile
Comments:

My goal was to break 1:30, but I was worried about going out too hard. Last year I really struggled the last 3 miles, and I was hoping to avoid a repeat. I decided I would go out at 7 flat and then pick it up as I felt good... So, how did that work for me? First Mile: 6:33. At least I felt good. Beginning of the race was in the rain, but it felt good. Better than the forecast, which was for a lot warmer and windier. From last year, I knew to seed myself up near the front, otherwise I would be held back too much, so that strategy worked well.

Miles 2-6 went very well. My breathing was perfectly under control, and I had a good feel for the pace. There were plenty of other runners around to chase and gage my progress. I was watching each of my splits and calculating my over/under for 1:30 the whole way. I was happily surprised by the number of spectators, given the weather conditions. They were a big boost.

I took my gel just before mile 6. I didn't have the whole thing, but took in what I could. I grabbed water at the 6 mile marker and tried to wash down the gel. Not so easy to do, even squeezing the cup closed tight. Oh well, I wasn't overly thirsty anyway.

Hit the hill after mile 6 and tried to stay within myself. Felt like I did a good job of that. Right after this hill is where I fell apart last year, but this year I was feeling better. Not quite as good as I felt the first 6 miles, but still not too bad. On the long straights, I got into a battle with another runner. I caught up to him and passed him. I tried to put a gap in, but he hung right on my shoulder. This was about mile 9. I couldn't put him away, and I was starting to worry about my legs. They were getting heavier. My breathing was still great. I don't have a hrm, but I sure felt in good control. I lost contact in my battle, and had to accept defeat.

Kept watching my splits, and they were dropping off little by little. At least not a big drop. I just tried to keep my turnover up, but my legs were feeling heavy. The last 2 miles, I just tried to keep it going. It wasn't enjoyable, but I knew I wasn't slowing as fast as it seemed I was. I probably lost about 2 minutes and 15-20 places though in the last 2 miles. Unfortunate, but... I still beat my goal time! I was happy to see the finish line!
What would you do differently?:

I think I did what I could do. 13.1 isn't a walk in the park when you are trying to race it. I could train more specifically for the 1/2, but this is a fun race, and a great early season motivator.
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed some water and a cookie. Ran backwards on the course to cool down, and looked for Benihana. Saw him while he had a 1/2 mile to go. Cheered him on.

Event comments:

Good early season 1/2 mary.




Last updated: 2007-02-28 12:00 AM
Running
01:29:02 | 13.1 miles | 06m 48s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/122
Overall: 69/1582
Performance: Good
6:33,13:29(Mile 2&3),6:46,6:39,6:37,6:53,6:50,6:40,6:49,6:56,6:57,7:49(1.1) 10K Time: 41:25
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5