Bank of America Gasparilla Half-Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Tampa Bay, Florida
United States
Bank of America
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 49m 7s
Overall Rank = 475/2282
Age Group = 35-39F
Age Group Rank = 29/216
Pre-race routine:

Warning: long report (lots of upfront details)
I registered for the marathon in late oct after a failed BQ attempt at St George. I took 2 solid weeks off from training and then went at it again with the idea of taking what I had learned at St George and applying it to Tampa. Training was going strong, but as the weather worsened, I attempted more and more treadmill runs. Which in the past have always been ok, but never great... I think I drasticly change my stride on treadmills.

Mid December I got pain that was different then I had had in the past in my right shin. So stopped running, went to several dr appts, pt and went back to swimming and biking. By early Jan. I was pretty upset with the whole injury thing and put the marathon out of my mind. Then slowly I started adding 2-3 milers back in and nothing more then 2-3 times a week.

By mid Jan. I decided that I did not have the fitness for the marathon and I would think about doing the half or just go and watch nate run the full. Now Nate never trains so to him the challenge is just finishing, with no training. Two weeks before I emailed the race director to see how I transfer from the marathon to the half marathon. She told me just to go to the information booth at the expo and they would switch it for me.

So Friday 2/8/08 we flew to tampa for a nice relaxing weekend with the idea of both of us running easy, me the half and Nate the full. However, Nate was trying to convince me to do the full with him. And of course I was starting to have those thoughts that, yah I can do the full, why not do the full. Then the thoughts started to creap in about maybe I could pull off a 4hr.

Why do I have these thoughts? Why would I be so stupid to think that I could run this race with no training, have decent results and not get injured further??? WHY???

Friday was a nice day of walking around, going for an easy run and out for a nice dinner to celebrate my birthday. Saturday we got up and went to the expo. I go right to packet pickup. I tell Nate I am going to the info booth, he still is trying to convince me otherwise. But I go and they say I can run wiht my same bib and chip, all I need to do is stay to the left just before mile 7 and run the 1/2 course. Thanks!!! Now why are they making it hard on me. Don't they know that runners have these mental challenges and sometimes think they are invincible at mile 6 of a marathon. Now I have to be strong and be an adult who makes the right decision at mile 7 of a marathon to only run the half, not the full. GREAT!!!

We walk the expo, I have a gate analysis (mod pronator, with more right bearing), buy a new pair of Mazuno Inspires, met Marni Rakes and then got some lunch. Went out for my easy run, still contemplating what I will do. I know what I SHOULD do, but will I be strong enough to do it tomorrow.

Out to pasta dinner at the Hilton and back to bed early. Wake up call set for 4am. Up at 4am, ate banana, drank coffee, ate luna bar. Packed 6 gus in jersey (just incase I was not strong), walked to expo, dropped of warm clothes, stretched, walked to start.
Event warmup:

walked 0.5miles and stretched
Run
  • 1h 49m 7s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

This is now the second race I started in the dark (I love running in the dark). I started still not knowing what I would do. But I kept telling myself that I wanted to be strong, have a great year, not be injured and not be stupid.... But for some reason I kept thinking what if.... So I started bafk behind the 4hr pacers, caught them at mile 1, then ran with them until mile 3... then they slowed at water stop, I kept going... caught 3:50 pacers at mile 4 and felt like I could stay with them, so I did until mile 5 or so when they seemed to slow. I slowed and thought, wow this feels great, actually slow.... let me stay with them and I could run the whole marathon at this pace... snap out of it heidi... you have not trained enough to run a full marathon at 3:50 pace and not be injured.

So before we get the bridge, I realize I can no longer hear them talking, so I must have sped up some more and now I had the big decision to make. I put myself on the left side of the road so that I did not jump over and stay straight with the marathoners. I went left, I made the right decision. Mile marker 7 I look at my watch and hit it for the first lap of the day (1:00.58 = 8.43 pace). I decide that I am going to push the next 6.1 and see how many woman I can pass and not be in pain.

I see Nate coming off the Davis bridge, slap high five and tell him I made the right decision. I am so amazed and happy with myself, I did it. So now it was time to make up some time, catch some people and move. I kept looking forward to find the next woman and would focus on 12, 13, 14... I was going to do my 3rd gu at mile 10, but I made the mistake of taking a gatorade and I ended up snarffing it... so no gu was going down I as trying to breath and feel normal again. At mile 9 I was up to 19 women passed, but just as I got to number 20, a woman passed me. But she definitely deserved to pass me as she was moving at least 20s a mile faster. So my count went back to 19.

At mile 12 I passed the Hoyts, man can he run. At mile 12.5 I passed the blind marine and his guide. Then with less than a half mile to go I was at a count of 40 women passed. I focused and kept moving to the finish, 41, 42, 43... By the line I had passed 47 women from mile 7 to the finish with only 1 woman passing me, making my final count 46.

I did the last 6.1 miles in 48.05 by my watch, but I added 3 seconds to equal chip time (48.08 = 7.53 per mile pace). I had no pain and felt great. I was proud of myself for not being stupid and for doing what I knew was right. (But I still question why I would ever think otherwise or why these crazy ideas pop in my head).


What would you do differently?:

nothing, I ran a PR without trying. I ran a half marathon on limited training. If I wanted to go faster, I should have started out a little stronger but otherwise it was a good solid race that taught me a lot about myself.
Post race
Warm down:

I grabbed a water and banana, walked to the clothes check then started walking bayshore back the course. I walked and cheered. I talked to every runner along the bayshore section of the course. I saw Q at mile 24 of the marathon and he looked great, looked to be in the top 30 runners. Then I remember reading that he wanted to BQ and he sure looked like he was going to do it (I had about 2:50 on my watch). Kept walking and cheering and before I knew it I was down by the horses and then at the 21 mile marker. I was very thirsty fo checked the road and saw no men coming, ran into the circle K for a coke. Out and waited at 21, thinking that I did not really want to walk any more let alone get back to town, 5 miles. Sure enough, with in a min or two, Nate comes shuffling along. So for the next 5 miles we talked about our days, shuffled, walked, jogged, listened to music, talked some more. And I was so glad I made the right decision.

Event comments:

The 1/2 course is great and what I saw of the full, it was equally as nice. Running in the dark is fabulous. I would love to run a full marathon all in the dark. Expo was great, after party wa ok, nothing for vegitarians but bread. (Seafood had meat in it, beens and rice had meat in it). There was free beer (Michalob Ultra) and music which was nice.

On a side note: I read the paper on Monday and it states that the first place woman in the half was disqualified because she registered for the full and only finished the half. Now that is what I did, but I emailed and then went to the info booth like I was told. They did not take my number or name down at the info booth, just stated that I had to run the half course. I am emailing the race director about this so she is aware that the expo staff is alllowing this. Now there seems to be other details to the winner story (she has done this before and been disqualified). But either way, be careful as it doen't seem that they treat all equally.




Last updated: 2008-02-12 12:00 AM
Running
01:49:07 | 13.1 miles | 08m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 29/216
Overall: 216/2282
Performance: Good
Course: Start next to publix, run over bridge to Davis Island, around Davis Island, back over bridge, split of marathon and half marathon, half marathon down along bayshore and back to finish.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]