Martian Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Dearborn Heights, Michigan
United States
Martian Marathon
50F / 10C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 56m 47s
Overall Rank = 481/1083
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 61/98
Pre-race routine:

Got up early and had a light breakfast (homeade muffins and coffee). Had no idea what the weather would be, so I packed up just about every piece of running apparrel that own and headed out. Ended up touring downtown Dearborn because I got lost. Eventually found the place, picked up my pakcet, and then sat in the truck for awhile trying to figure out how many layers to wear. Went with shorts, a tech tee, windbreaker, and gloves. Turned out to be the right decision.
Event warmup:

Not much. Walked to the start area and did a little running in place to try to get the legs loosened up.
Run
  • 1h 56m 47s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

Start was a little bit crowded but I was able to find some running room after about a half mile. Did the first mile in 8:30, which was a little faster than I wanted, but I was comfortable and running with a fun group of guys so I was not too worried about it. The first aid station was a disaster area with too many people trying to get water so I passed on this one. Reached mile two in 17:00. Knew there was no way I could maintain that pace for the whole race so I started slowing it down a bit and tried to maintain about a 9:00/mile pace for the rest of the race.

Slurrped down a gel about mile 4. Had two in that pocket and managed to drop one. Tried to pick it up but the guy behind my stepped on it and exploded it. Felt bad that he was going to have run with his shoe covered in Apple Hammer Gel.

At mile 6, grabbed a cup of Ultima, big mistake. That has to be one of the worst tasting substances ever. I think I picked up my pace for the next two miles just so I could get that tast out of my mouth. Reached the half way point at 57:30 and was still feeling strong. Wasn't sure if I was drinking enough, so I decided to walk through the remaining aid stations to get two cups of water.

My pace was slowing a bit and I started to feel a little tired around mile-8 so I took another of my gels (this time, I did not drop the other one that was in my pocket). Around mile 10, I was feeling good again and was pretty confident that I would beat my 2 hour goal time. Also noticed, that if I continued to run 9:00 miles that I could finish under a 9:00/mile pace. So I took my last gel and tried to run as strong as I could.

The last mile had a really steep hill up a walking path. My legs definately did not appreciate that. Thought I was a little off the pace, so I picked it up as best as I could and ran strong through the finish.

What would you do differently?:

Besides not drinking the Ultima and not dropping my gel, absoultely nothing. This was a great race for me.
Post race
Warm down:

Immediately after the race, I suddenly got very cold. Grabbed a water and went back to the truck to put on some warmer/drier clothes. Grabbed some food and then went back out to cheer on the remaining half marathoners. Watched the first couple of elite marathoners finish and then headed home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing. This half was 12 mintues faster than the one I did last fall (which was my first), so I am making good steady improvement.

Event comments:

Great race, lots of enthusiastic volunteers. Would definately do it again.




Last updated: 2007-03-17 12:00 AM
Running
01:56:47 | 13.1 miles | 08m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 61/98
Overall: 481/1083
Performance: Good
Course: Basically flat course with some minor rollers thrown in.
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4