Cape Cod Marathon - RunMarathon


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Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
United States
Falmouth Running Club
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 13m 11s
Overall Rank = 903/1005
Age Group = F 14-39
Age Group Rank = 207/245
Pre-race routine:

Drove out to the Cape Saturday afternoon. Stopped at packet pickup, bought a few items, checked into the hotel. We had an interesting dinner at Outback with Pam and Dave, grabbed bagels on the way back, watched baseball and fell asleep (eventually).
Event warmup:

Used the bathroom in my room as many times as I could before meeting up with Pam to drive to the start (a whole mile away!). We stood around talking and looking for familiar faces, then it was time to line up. Just before the gun went off, Joanne and Glen found us for pre-race hugs!
Run
  • 5h 13m 11s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 11m 57s  min/mile
Comments:

I set out with the goal of running 11 min/miles so I could go a little slower per mile in the last half and still go under 5. I did well with this plan until mile 16 or so, when my splits started heading into the upper 11's. After that, I just kept getting slower and slower. I had to start taking walk breaks at mile 21, and that just killed my time completely. My hydration and nutrition were excellent, and I never felt like I was bonking. C and Dave made it out to several points on the course to cheer for us, and it was really nice to see familiar faces out there, and I even managed a few smiles in the pictures C took ;). It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, it was a comfortable temperature, just a perfect day for a race.
All that said, I never felt "good" during this race. I knew early on that it was going to be a long day and I might not meet my goal of sub 5. My legs were tired and sore from the start, and I never got in my groove. BUT, I ran for the first 21 miles before I had to start taking walk breaks, AND I did make it back in one piece, so I can't complain ;).
This course was tough! It was gorgeous, but the last 16 miles of it is rather brutal (not that I have anything to compare it to). It was tough mentally to keep going up hill after hill. This was a great pre-IMLP test, because I know I will be hurting on that marathon too, and I know I will have to keep putting one foot in front of the other in order to become an Ironman. I am very relieved to have a marathon under my belt before I attempt IMLP. Now I know what 26.2 miles on my feet is like.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Post race
Warm down:

Got my medal and my foil blanket and met up with C and the Sullivans. Then it was back to the hotel to drink Endurox and eat a pumpkin cream cheese muffin.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I don't think doing the Hartford Half 2 weeks ago was a good idea. I went all out there and did well, but I didn't fully recover. This was my first marathon and I think I did ok.

Event comments:

This was a nicely organized race but there were too few aid stations (I had my FB with me, thankfully!) and no post-race festivities that I could see. The course was well-marked and well-staffed by cops and volunteers at intersections, and you really can't beat running by the beach! Nice long-sleeve shirt and a bottle opener in my race bag, and a cool finisher's medal. I would do this race again.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2007-08-15 12:00 AM
Running
05:13:11 | 26.2 miles | 11m 57s  min/mile
Age Group: 207/245
Overall: 245/1005
Performance: Good
Avge HR: 165
Course: A huge loop around the Falmouths. Hills, and lots of'em!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4