Fargo Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Fargo, North Dakota
United States
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 13m 16s
Overall Rank = 923/2135
Age Group = F30-34
Age Group Rank = 173/375
Pre-race routine:

toast with peanut butter, banana, diet coke
Event warmup:

I met a friend from high school to warm up together and she actually made me warm up! We did a slow 10 minute run and then stretched a bit. I never run before a longer race, figuring I have enough miles to cover in the race without running beforehand too. But, I have to say that my legs felt nice and loose at the beginning.
Run
  • 2h 13m 16s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

This was a tough one for me. I was doing great, keeping a sub-2:10 pace and a PR, but I bonked around mile nine. I had chafing and blister issues, which is weird because I was only wearing things that I knew worked for me. I guess I just got tired around mile 9, and started walking too much. I lost about 5 minutes between miles 9 and 13. I was really tired and stressed due to work this week, and I think it took its toll. But...this was my second fastest 1/2 marathon ever (7 total completed). And I'm feeling really good about my running this season. I was only 40 seconds off my PR, and I *know* I have a 2:10 half mary in me and hope to get there this season.

I really enjoy finishing a race strong and not leaving any gas in the tank, so I put everything I had into a final sprint, which actually felt pretty good. Hopefully I will get a good race photo of me giving it a good kick!
What would you do differently?:

Be better rested. Do more than 10 mile training runs.
Post race
Event comments:

Overall, this was a well-run race. They did well with labeling a course where the marathon and half marathon split and met up three times (I think). This is Fargo, so all of the volunteers were friendly and happy. The finish in the Fargodome is fun - gotta love a jumbotron finish. But...the indoor finish led to some space issues with getting bags and food, because everyone got stuck in the finishing chute.

There was a huge logjam at the bag retrieval area. You basically had to pick up your bag right away after finishing or risk even bigger crowds as the marathoners piled in. I was stuck in line for over 20 minutes before getting any nutrition. Thankfully they had water right there, so I could hydrate. Everybody was being a good sport, though, which was nice.




Last updated: 2008-04-07 12:00 AM
Running
02:13:16 | 13.1 miles | 10m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 173/375
Overall: 923/2135
Performance:
Course: Flat, flat, flat, flat, flat!!! It's Fargo, don'tcha know? The course weaves through residential areas throughout Fargo and passes over to Moorhead for a bit, too.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4