Chicago Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Chicago Half Marathon
75F / 24C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 58m 58s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Up early, drive to race site. Eat 6 fig newtons on the way there, drinking only water, no gatorade to see if that helps my GI issues. This is a new thing for me, seemed to work okay. At least the fig newtons didn't seem to bother me while running.
Event warmup:

Walk 1.5 miles to the race site (parking is pretty scarce around here...). Port-a-potty a couple of times. Gel 30 minutes beforehand. Couple of Excedrin to try and chase the headache away (which is did, mostly).
Run
  • 1h 58m 58s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

Not a good run. My pace was very inconsistent for the first 9 miles, but averaged out to 8:30 m/m, which is just a hair slower than what I wanted, but I was pleased with anyway. Right after I completed the 9th mile, I got very dizzy and had a hard time breathing. Actually completely stopped to gather myself, and then mostly walked the rest of that mile. When I reached 10 miles, I figured if I could pull out a quick 5k, I still might be able to salvage a PR, but everytime I tried to push my pace, I got light-headed again. So, I bagged the race and went the rest of the way easy. Very disappointing performance.
What would you do differently?:

Let's make a list... Things That Went Wrong...

1. Dropped second gel when getting first one out (more important because I had decided not to drink any gatorade on the course)
2. Hotter than normal
3. Headache/cramps
4. Not nearly enough sleep over the past 3 days
5. Inconsistent pacing
6. Forgot sunglasses
7. Bad nutrition leading up to race
8. More caffeine than usual, pre-race
9. The one gel I did have didn't sit very well in my stomach

While I really, REALLY wanted to PR this race, in the end it's just a training race. Disappointing, yes, but not the worst thing in the world. I'm trying not to let it affect my confidence for the marathon.
Post race
Warm down:

Got my bag, walked through the food line, and then hiked the 1.5 miles back to my car.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Any or all of the above factors. Just a bad running day, when all was said and done.

Event comments:

This is my 4th year doing this race -- despite the crowds and the difficulty getting parking, I love it and will continue to come back for it.




Last updated: 2007-08-25 12:00 AM
Running
01:58:58 | 13.1 miles | 09m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Mile 1: 8:10 - Mile 2: 8:55 - mile 3: 7:48 - mile 4: 8:56 - mile 5: 8:21 - mile 6: 8:22 - mile 7: 8:51 - mile 8: 8:30 - mile 9: 8:34 - mile 10: 11:18 - mile 11: 10:17 - mile 12: 9:44 - mile 13.1: 11:09
Course: Around the University of Chicago campus, then north on Lake Shore Drive, then back south and through the neighborhoods for the last couple of miles.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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