Hartford 1/2 Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Hartford, Connecticut
United States
Hartford Marathon Foundation
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 29m 32s
Overall Rank = 2667/3120
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 271/307
Pre-race routine:

Slept at my sister's house the night before since she lives closer to the race. Did not sleep well. Woke up every few hours. I was afraid I wouldn't wake up to my weak watch alarm. No worries, I was up way before my 6:00 wake up call. I got up, got ready and had a bagel with peanut butter. Yum! Waited for my sis to drive me to the race so I didn't have to find and pay for parking. She also babysat my children for me so I could race today. She's the best!
Event warmup:

My sis dropped me off as close as we could get to the race site but I still had a bit of a walk. I was just trying to figure out where to go and stay warm. It was quite a chilly morning.

This was my first half marathon. The longest race I had done in the past was a 10k years ago and I walked most of that race. I was pretty nervous/excited for today to get here.
Run
  • 2h 29m 32s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

The gun went off and we had a bit of a wait to cross the timing mats. Tons of people. Definitely my biggest race I've done. Crossed the timing mats and off I went, me and a few thousand of my closest friends! I started my Garmin and was feeling good. A few miles in, I can feel a blister start forming on my big toe. What??? Why??? My shoes aren't super new, not new socks, I don't get it! Oh well, I can't do anything about it now can I? I plod on with my slow but steady pace. The first aide station is at mile 2. I check my Garmin and realize it is set for bike, not run. GRRRR!!! How could I have forgotten to change the setting?? I say screw it and just turn it off. The next few miles went by really fast. I felt good. I took Gatorade and water and the aide stations. At the 10k mark, I turned the Garmin back on and reset it for running. I took a GU and some water. I felt like I could run all day. Well, then mile 10 came and I had enough. It was a hard couple of miles, 10,11 and 12. They dragged by! It was quiet and long. As I passed the mile 12 marker, I told myself to suck it up and pick up the pace. I had slipped to running (?) a 13:00 pace. Not acceptable! So, I picked it up and ran a good last mile. I passed a girl I had been running around all day and we sprinted to the finish line together. I crossed the finish line with a huge smile on my face (thanks for the reminder Ronen!) and was so happy to be done!
What would you do differently?:

Figure out why I got blisters and not do that again and have my Garmin on the right setting!
Post race
Warm down:

I turned my chip in and got a drink. I ran up the street and called my sis to come and pick me up. I stretched while waiting for her.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Blisters and some ligament damage in my foot.

Event comments:

Had a blast out there today. The course had a few more hills that I thought it would have but that was okay. Some of the roads were a bit rough too. Doesn't matter, it was a great first half marathon!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-05-07 12:00 AM
Running
02:29:32 | 13.1 miles | 11m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 271/307
Overall: 2667/3120
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4