Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Virginia Beach, Virginia
United States
Elite Racing
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 40m 8s
Overall Rank = 488/16312
Age Group = M 25-29
Age Group Rank = 83/1028
Pre-race routine:

Got to V-Beach on Friday night, somewhat late due to the infamous DC traffic. Went to the expo Sat morning, and relaxed most of the day Saturday. Went to bed right as the fireworks over the pier ended.
Event warmup:

Woke up around 5:15 and pulled on the clothes I had picked out. Brewed a cup of black coffee, then went outside to catch the shuttle to the start. The shuttle picked up right in front of my hotel, and there was no wait at all. The shuttle ride was quick, so I got to the race early (~6am). I stretched a little, then got in line for the porta potties. The lines were much shorter this year, which was a VERY good thing.
Run
  • 1h 40m 8s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 38s  min/mile
Comments:

I was in coral 1 (bib 1311), and was excited to start. My PR is 1:35:18 at the Philly Distance Run last year (7:16 pace), so I was trying to maintain between a 7 min and a 7:10. I was able to hold it for a while (see splits above), but began to figure out quickly that the heat and humidity would probably prevent a PR. My right calf begin cramping / aching very early on (before mile 1!), which was odd for me because it's usually my left that hurts. I held the pace I wanted for over half the race, but eventually became too tired. I walked for a very short time at mile 9 to let my sky high HR settle down, then finished the final few miles at a more reasonable pace given the conditions (around a 7:40). I really pushed hard the final 1.1 miles, at around a 6:30 to 6:50 pace. My final time, 1:40:08, was a total of 4 seconds slower than my time last year. Four freaking seconds!
What would you do differently?:

Not much, really. I probably would have started a little slower, realizing the heat / humidity would win in the end. But given the conditions, I don't think losing 4 seconds was really that bad of a day.
Post race
Warm down:

Drank a lot of water, a bottle of Cytomax (hey, it's better than Accelerade) and ate popcicles. Yes, they had popcicles! Waited an hour or so for B to finish and cheered on the runners at about the 13 mile mark. Once B finished, I met up with her, and we had our free beers on the beach. :-)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Mainly the humidity. The heat wasn't great, but I probably could have beat it, if it weren't for the humidity.

Event comments:

Virginia Beach is a great race, and recommended for people looking to run a half marathon. It's very newbie friendly. It can get hot, so you may not want to expect a PR, but it really has a great "party" atmosphere.




Last updated: 2008-07-07 12:00 AM
Running
01:40:08 | 13.1 miles | 07m 38s  min/mile
Age Group: 83/1028
Overall: 488/16312
Performance: Average
Clock Time 1:40:14 Chip Time 1:40:08 Overall Place 488 / 16312 Gender Place 393 / 7088 Division Place 83 / 1028 5K 21:12 10K 44:24 10 Mi 1:14:54 11 3 Mi 1:26:31 20K 1:33:32
Course: The first 6 miles or so were the same as last year, but the latter half had changed. I liked last year's course better, with the ~2mile stretch along the boardwalk (versus ~ half mile this year). Sure it was hot last year, but the point of having a race in a beach town is the BEACH! Sorry, rant over. The course was very well supported with volunteers, fluid stations, and bands. It was definitely fun!
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
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