Shamrock Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Virginia Beach, Virginia
United States
Shamrock Sportsfest
35F / 2C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 35m 27s
Overall Rank = 287/5996
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 40/460
Pre-race routine:

Woke up around 5:00 - 5:15 and jumped in the shower. Did some stretching and forced down half of a Snicker's Marathon energy bar while sipping water with Nuun throughout. I had a bagel, some PB and a banana available but just could not eat any of it. I have a really hard time eating first thing in the morning when I wake up and didn't expect to eat much. I've been thinking of purchasing CarboPro for some of my upcoming longer endurance events where I will need more calories prior to the start and can mix it in with the water and Nuun.
Event warmup:

The race started at 7am and I left the room around 6:30 for the 6 block walk to the starting line. Once there I stood around for 10-15 minutes waiting for the race to start. Probably should have done a light warmup run and will need to incorporate a WU into future events.
Run
  • 1h 35m 27s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

Legs were a little stiff and felt a little heavy for the first mile or 2. Like I mentioned earlier I probably should have done a quick warm up run. I also went out too fast on the first mile (6:56) but was able to settle in thereafter and maintain a fairly comfortable pace throughout. I feel like I did a pretty good job of pacing myself after the first mile which was a concern for me since this race did not have a pace group below 1:45 and I have successfully utilized a pacer the last 2 races I've done. I had a nice final kick over the last 1.1 miles as well so I was pleased that I had something left in the tank for a strong finish.

Nutritionwise, I had a Gu Roctane 15 minutes prior to the race and another at mile 5. Also had 1/2 of a regular Gu around mile 10. Consumed a total of two 8 oz. fuel belt bottles with water and Nuun. Splits are as follows:

1 0:06:56
2 0:07:15
3 0:07:23
4 0:07:26
5 0:07:26
6 0:07:24
7 0:07:22
8 0:07:19
9 0:07:21
10 0:07:16
11 0:07:16
12 0:07:17
13 0:06:57
0.1 0:00:43
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Incorporate a WU so that my legs were loose at the start and slow down a little on the first mile so that my splits could be a little less erratic early on and preferably declining. Maybe push a little harder over the last 3 or 4 miles. Not sure. My goal leading up to the race was a sub 1:40 and I was trying to run consistent 7:30s or below so that I had some time in the bank at the end. I feel like I had a good base leading into the training for this race from the Philly marathon in Nov. and my training has been very consistent since I started with my Cadence coaching plan in early Jan. I am very pleased with the results so far!
Post race
Warm down:

Got my finisher's medal, hat and bag after crossing the line and grabbed a banana and a bottle of water. Sat down on the grass near the finish line and stretched while watching the rest of the race and just taking in the festivities, weather, and the fact that I just ran a great race where I was extremely happy with my performance. Lastly, I grabbed a cup of coffee from the McDonald's tent and found my friends that were also participating in the event. We then grabbed some breakfast and watched one of our friends fininsh his first Marathon.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing

Event comments:

Great race, weather, and run with a huge PR! Did this same race last year at 1:42:48 so I cut almost 7 and a half minutes of off last year's time. I've done this race the last 3 years and each time it's been a great experience. It is well organized, with plenty of volunteers and fan support. Great atmosphere and post race scene as well as the finish is on the boardwalk/beach!




Last updated: 2008-11-24 12:00 AM
Running
01:35:27 | 13.1 miles | 07m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 40/460
Overall: 460/5996
Performance: Good
Course: Flat with almost no wind.
Keeping cool Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5]
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5