Long Branch Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

Misc HRM Data:
13.25 miles
1:43:57
0:07:44 pace

Mile 1: 0:08:29
Mile 2: 0:07:32
Mile 3: 0:07:43
Mile 4: 0:07:33
Mile 5: 0:07:37
Mile 6: 0:07:42
Mile 7: 0:07:36
Mile 8: 0:07:46
Mile 9: 0:07:56
Mile 10: 0:09:28
Mile 11: 0:07:37
Mile 12: 0:07:23
Mile 13: 0:07:33
Mile 13.25: 0:01:54

HRM started acting screwy about 2 weeks before the race so I'm skeptical of the accuracy of the data. When I first put it on, typically it shows my HR being ~60 but in the last two weeks it'd show 120ish (just standing around) so something's not right. Anyhoo, it's claiming I had a 179 average for the race. Maybe a bit high, but whatever.

This was my first race of any kind, ever, so I wasn't sure what to expect. My goals were a) to finish, b) to finish in under 2 hours and c) finish under 1:45. I wore my HRM/SDM but that was more to track mile-splits as opposed to pace myself by HR.

We were supposed to line up according to projected finishing time, but seeing as how it was the first race for me and my two buddies, we just kind of hung out and didn't get too wrapped up in pushing to the front. I was shooting for a 1:45 finish and they were shooting for a 4:00 and 4:30 marathon, but even still we hung back at the 5:30 area. Turns out that may or may not have been a good idea. Anyhoo...

The gun goes off and we slowly start walking towards the start. It took a few minutes just to get there but once we did we started jogging. As it turns out, people doing a 5:30 marathon don't want to go out too fast. I spent the first 2 miles weaving in and out of people, jumping up onto the sidewalk just to get ahead/around folks. I'm not sure if I started out slow (as shown by my slightly slower 1 mile split) or if I was held up by these other people.

The first aid station was pretty interesting. I'd always used a water bottle on my training runs and never needed (or tried) to drink from a cup while running. I quickly learned that it's not nearly as easy as it looks. I grabbed a cup of gatorade at the first aid station and when I tried to take a drink I ended up with ~1/4 in my nose and mouth and 3/4 of it running down my shirt. Oops! Looks like that's something I'll need to work on in the future.

In any event, the first 6-7 miles of the race I felt like a complete stud because I was passing anyone and everyone. I never realized how competitive I was, but blowing past people is great motivation. This is what kept me going up until about mile 8.

A few interesting things happened at mile 8. At that point I guess I'd caught everyone I was going to and suddenly it wasn't as easy to pass people. I'd start catching up to someone, make it past them and then they'd kick it up a notch and pass me. I found myself getting caught up in these mini-races a couple times and realized it was a bad idea. It took a lot to 'run my own race' but I think I was able to tough it out. It was also during mile 8 where I started to get hit with some 'intestinal distress'. My pace started to slow until mile 9.5 when I was able to make a pit stop. 2 mins later and I'm back on the road, trying to make up for lost time.

Mile 10-13 were as mentally tough as they were physically tough. My legs were aching and my calves were in knots for the remainder of the race. I figured I'd go 'all out' the last 3 miles and just suck it up for the next 20 minutes. After what seemed like an eternity I looked back down at my watch and only 2 minutes had elapsed. Needless to say the next 3 miles were the longest 3 miles I'd ever run. Somehow I finished and managed to beat my stretch-goal of 1:45.

Line up at the correct starting point/pace.
Figure out my fueling so as to not deal with any 'intestinal distress'.

Shortly past the finish line they had a handful of volunteers to remove timing chips. At this point I couldn't really feel my legs so I wasn't sure if I was going to fall over if I stopped. I bent over and had to support myself on my knees as the lady removed the strap. After that I walked around for about 5 minutes before running into my buddy's parents. I chatted with them and waited for him to finish his first lap. After that I got my gear bag, changed and stretched out a bit. I definitely waited far too long to stretch and won't make that mistake again. Also managed to get a massaged at the very end of the day when things were winding down -- that was AWESOME.


Probably should've done more tempo and LT runs earlier in my training. 99% of my training were z1/z2 runs from October until now.


First race is in the books. I felt like a chump because everyone else ran the full marathon but there's always next time. Next big (running) race will probably be the Flying Pig marathon in Cincinnati in May '08.