Snow Joke Half-Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Seeley Lake, Montana
United States
Cheetah Herders
27F / -3C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 2h 25m 34s
Overall Rank = /396
Age Group = 16-39
Age Group Rank = 128/148
Pre-race routine:

Ate toast and banana for breakfast, had a clif mojo bar 2 hours before race.
Event warmup:

Jogged down to the corner gas station to use the restroom and jogged back to school gym. This served double duty as warm up and getting out of the 15 minute wait to get into the restrooms at the school. Did some light stretches after jog.
Run
  • 2h 25m 34s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 07s  min/mile
Comments:

Even some of the runners I had talked to thought I was crazy for choosing this as my first Half Mary, but I love a challenge and I'm so glad I did it. It was really rough at times, but crossing that finish line made it all worthwhile and what a great journey its been getting to this point! My DH ran it and it was his first Half as well. He finished in 2 hours 11 minutes and was sweet enough to run back to our car and grab the camera to get a picture of me crossing the finish line. I am so proud of both of us!
What would you do differently?:

I might see a sport's medicine doctor to see what I can do about my tight achilles. I've had trouble with this off and on for some time and with my left foot going numb, think it would be a good idea to get it checked out. I'd also try to pace myself better, so I could push more in those last couple miles.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around the parking area a little, did a little stretching. Then went to car and put some dry clothes on to stay warm.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Had some achilles pain early on and my left foot was going numb, so had to walk twice for about a minute. Hills were pretty rough, and the county road was snowpacked and icey.

Event comments:

This is a pretty bare bones race, but for only a $10 entry fee can't complain. There were drink stations at mile 6 and 10 with gatorade and water. A free can of juice after the race was the only post race activities. Race shirt was a really cool design with course map on the back, but they put it on baby pink long sleeve shirt. My DH wasn't too thrilled with color, but did still pick up his shirt :)


Profile Album


Last updated: 2007-11-27 12:00 AM
Running
02:25:34 | 13.1 miles | 11m 07s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/148
Overall: 0/396
Performance: Good
Maximum hr 202 (seems extremely high may have been a monitor gliche) average hr 164
Course: First 5 1/2 miles were on the highway, mostly dry pavement with some icey patches on the sides. First 1/2 mile was pretty slow going in the crowd, but the next 1 1/2 miles were a little too fast for me as I got caught up in crowd pace. Slowed to a more sustainable pace for me at mile 2 and was passed by it seemed like everyone. Miles 3 to 5 1/2 had some steep, long hills and my calfs and achilles were screaming. Miles 5 1/2 to 12 1/2 were on county road which was snowpacked and icey, with some rolling hills. Endorphins must have kicked in because I quit feeling pain about mile 6. Mile 6 through 10 I found my stride and felt really good, despite having to find the safest looking area on the road to run among the treacherous ice. Mile 10 I really wanted to push it, but just didn't have much more in me, just kept concentrating on keeping my legs moving. Mile 12, I was almost there and really wanted to sprint, but just couldn't. That last mile of the race was the hardest mile I have ever run, and someone went and put a steep hill right before mile 13. It took everything I had to keep on running, but I did it!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5