PF Changs Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale, Arizona
United States
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 57m 40s
Overall Rank = 3496/22,100
Age Group = M-25-29
Age Group Rank = 300/1026
Pre-race routine:

Woke up about 5 am and ate a bagel with PB, a banana and a bottle of water. The wife and I got ready and headed down to Tempe to park near the finish. We got a sweet spot that was pretty close the where we would be finishing. We then got on a bus that drove us down to the race start in Phoenix
Event warmup:

Peeing, light jogging and lots of stretching. A lot of nervous energy to boot!
Run
  • 1h 57m 40s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

After the first 5k I started to get really hot. I was running in a tech shirt with my UA running tights. I was glad that I hadn't brought my arm warmers as it was getting really hot. Somewhere before the 10K mark I started dumping water on my tights, head and shirt. It was getting really warm and I just tried to keep cool.

I had signed up to run with the 2:00:00 pacer. I was right behind him when the race started and as soon as our wave started I ditched him. I guess I figured that as long as I was ahead of him that I'd meet my sub 2 hour goal. I went out faster then I should have, around 8:30/mile. I hit 5k in 27:12 and while I was feeling good, I realized that I wasn't going to be able to hold the pace for the entire race. I hit 10K in 54:09 and 10 miles in 1:28:45. As you can see, my pace did drop quite a bit. It was hot and that made it a little harder. There were also some slight hills sprinkled in the last three miles. By mile 10 I just wanted to stop by I new my goal was within sight so I just hung with it.
What would you do differently?:

BE MORE CONSISTENT IN MY TRAINING! I did two runs up to 13.1 with the longest being 15 miles during training. Some weeks I ran 5 times a week while others I ran 2-4 times a week. All in all, I think I did pretty good for my first half marathon but I think I could have done better had my training, diet and core focus been more disciplined.
Post race
Warm down:

I got a few little crams. This happened during my last OLY so I think I need to look into some salt supplementation during my races. Fortunately, I didn't cramp during the actual race. I got some water and my finishers medal and then I headed back over to the finish line so I could see my wife finish.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

BE MORE CONSISTENT IN MY TRAINING! I did two runs up to 13.1 with the longest being 15 miles during training. Some weeks I ran 5 times a week while others I ran 2-4 times a week. All in all, I think I did pretty good for my first half marathon but I think I could have done better had my training, diet and core focus been more disciplined.

Event comments:

Great race. Next year I'd like to run with the 1:52:00 pace group. I think a 5 minute PR would be great. Maybe if I can improve on my run this year I can come in even faster.




Last updated: 2008-06-27 12:00 AM
Running
01:57:40 | 13.1 miles | 08m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 300/1026
Overall: 3496/22,100
Performance: Good
Course: Mostly flat with some minor hills mostly during the last three miles.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %?
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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