Securian Frozen Half Marathon - RunOther


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St. Paul, Minnesota
United States
The Saint Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation
-15F / -26C
Sunny
Total Time = 48m 13s
Overall Rank = 162/663
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Got up and had some hot cereal and some peanut butter toast for breakfast. Since the race was shortened to about a quarter marathon, I wasn't too concerned about pre-race nutrition. Gathered everything I would need and a little bit more and headed downtown.
Event warmup:

After I picked up my chip, I ran for a couple minutes as a "warm-up" then went back inside to stretch for a few moments before the start of the race.
Run
  • 48m 13s
  • 6.36 miles
  • 07m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

I had hopes of finishing under 45 minutes, but the cold was really pretty hard to deal with for the first third+ of the race. The wind was in our face on the way out, making breathing and staying warm difficult. A little before the turn-around, my hands warmed up, but I struggled with drafts going under my jacket and fleece. I'm going to have to reconsider my cold weather gear. I warmed up considerably on the way back to the point that I removed my mittens, folded up my hat, and unzipped my jacket and fleece a bit.

While the cold sucked, the thing that was the worst for me were my unwilling legs. They just didn't want to warm up and perform. They felt like the gel in one of those thick gel bike saddles - squishy and useless. I simply couldn't will them to go any faster. After about the first mile and a half, I only passed one person who stopped to walk before the final hill right before the finish. So I resigned myself to just plodding along. There was no question that I was going to make it. It was more a matter of just keeping going.

Best part of the whole race, though, was running that far on completely clear roads. There wasn't a bit of snow or slush to deal with. That was fantastic.
What would you do differently?:

Use some different gear to keep my core warmer.
Not try to race in below zero temps.
Post race
Warm down:

Get inside. Gather my things and then go to the Scandia Bakery for some post-race treats.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The cold. Plain and simple.

Event comments:

I'd like to try this race at its full length some time assuming the weather is decent. I was initially disappointed when they shortened the race, but I'm sure they made the right decision. I'll register again some time and it'll be great.




Last updated: 2009-01-24 12:00 AM
Running
00:48:13 | 06.36 miles | 07m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 162/663
Performance: Below average
Mile one was a bit under 7 minutes. Mile 2 was just over 7 minutes. Mile 3 was about 8 minutes. I didn't see the 4th mile marker... but I felt pretty slow.
Course: Out of Lowertown to Shepard Rd. West on Shepard Rd to Otto St. Out and back. Short steep hill down on the way out and mostly a gradual uphill on the way out.
Keeping cool Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Ok
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