Long Beach Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Long Beach, California
United States
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 49m 10s
Overall Rank = 752/7275
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 114/493
Pre-race routine:

Up at 5, ate uncrustable, drank some water, Loaded up stuff (Gu, dry clothes for after), got on bike and rode to start. Very cold on the bike ride, hands and feet were numb by the time we got there.
Event warmup:

Hung around, stretched, talked with friends, waited for gun.
Run
  • 1h 49m 10s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

Always amazed at the number of people in run races as opposed to triathlons. Also amazed at the number of people who start in the front 1/4 of the pack who really should be in the back 1/4. For the first two miles, there was alot of weaving around people (as well as people weaving past me), but it gradually settled in. Never used the portapotties at the start line, but had to stop just after mile 4. The beginning 1/2 of the race went by very quickly with all the turns and different scenery to look at. My times were pretty quick for me, but I was feeling good, so decided to continue at that pace. I never got hung up on people passing me, so I was actually running my race.
I took a Gu at 35 min and about 70 minutes and think it worked well for me. I took water/poweraid at every station and tried to run and drink. I have never been able to, but managed to get some down. As the race progressed and I knew I would need more fluids, I walked as I drank two cups/station.
At mile 10, my kids were all sitting on the sideline with my in-laws. I have never been a real "boost" guy from seeing family, but it really helped to keep me moving at a good pace in a tough part of the course (very flat and boring). At mile 11 (I think) I tried a Cliff shot chocolate and almost threw it up. At that point I decided I would go without the last Gu for the race.
My original goal was to be happy under 2 hours and very happy under 1:50. At mile 11, I saw I had about 17 minutes to get under 1:50 so I started to push a little harder. At mile 12 I had 8 1/2 minutes to go, so I really picked it up. Pushed hard in the last mile and played tag with a couple of other runners. Made the last turn onto Alamitos and loved the downhill finish. It was really nice to be able to stride the last few hundred yards downhill across the line.
What would you do differently?:

Start closer to the front.
Post race
Warm down:

Waited for some friends to finish (1:55 and 2:00) and hit the beer garden for a couple, then rode home for more festivities.

Event comments:

Good post race activities, beer garden is always popular with me.




Last updated: 2008-10-13 12:00 AM
Running
01:49:10 | 13.1 miles | 08m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 114/493
Overall: 752/7275
Performance: Good
Course: Around downtown area, Queen Mary, aquarium, on 710 freeway, go bike bath for 3.5 miles, back down Ocean to Convention Center.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race?
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