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Music from the Soul - RunHalf Marathon


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Lethbridge, Alberta
Canada
Runners Soul
14C / 57F
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 52m 12s
Overall Rank = 44/310
Age Group = M50-59
Age Group Rank = 5/23
Pre-race routine:

Up at 5am and got some coffee on but didn't feel like eating. I guess I had too much slow digesting food, too late last night, and I still felt full. Settled on a shot of orange juice and a crust of bread, washed it down with a coffee. Checked the weather websites and dressed light anyway, gambling that I would beat the rain they were forecasting for mid day. Arrived later than intended but still had plenty of time. I had a gel, non-caffeinated, about a half hour before the start.
Event warmup:

It was a little cool, with a very light breeze, so I was bouncing around a bit to stay warm but I didn't do any warm up running. Chip timing meant our race started when we crossed the line. People weren't crowding the front though so I was only about 10 feet back.
Run
  • 1h 52m 12s
  • 21.1 kms
  • 05m 19s  min/km
Comments:

I used the pace readout on the garmin to try and get a little ahead through the easier first half. I figured I had to average about 5:40/km to break 2 hours so I aimed for 5:10 to 5:25. The weather was perfect, not too hot or cool, and almost no wind. Even though I wasn't getting too dry, I walked a few steps to drink something about every second or third aid station. No one seemed to be matching my pace for very long so I kept checking the garmin and doing my own thing. Time at 10k had just hit 52 min.

We went down the hill into the river valley on a winding paved pathway with several fairly steep drops. I had been trying to spin my feet for these but as we continued through some of the drops along the river I started to open my stride up a bit too. Climbing the hill didn't seem too bad and I don't think I lost as much time as expected there. The sun was coming out in places though and the sweat was starting to trickle off my hat brim. I saw, and heard, Lesley in the crowd cheering at the top of the hill.

For the rolling grades along Scenic Drive I tried to return to my previous target pace. Leanne honked as she drove by, heading to the finish area. A bit past the 11 mile marker an older lady bounded by. I started to let her go and then thought that I might try to keep up. Her pace turned out to be about 4:45 to 4:50 / km but it didn't feel to bad. Then we hit a slight upgrade, she dropped off a bit, and I kept pushing. After cresting that grade I was holding about 5:00 to 5:05 / km. The route was pretty level from there on and I tried to hang on at that pace.
What would you do differently?:

Eat better the day before. I might also have tried pushing just a bit more, earlier, but I was worried about dropping off through the harder second half.
Post race
Warm down:

After downing a couple cups of water and catching my breath, I went for a short easy jog with another lady I knew who had also finished. Then my wife and I walked around talking with people we recognized. One display tent was passing out cups of chocolate milk and a bag of stuff including a skipping rope. We went into the building and had some breakfast, with Leon and Mary joining us.




Last updated: 2008-02-17 12:00 AM
Running
01:52:12 | 21.1 kms | 05m 19s  min/km
Age Group: 5/23
Overall: 44/310
Performance:
HR av 166, max 180
Course: A big loop, fairly flat as it winds through town for the first 12 km. Then the route loses about 300 ft elevation, dropping into the river valley for 3 km before climbing out again. Some short drops and climbs in the valley, and some longer rolling grades afterwards as the road follows the edge of the valley.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2008-06-02 2:31 PM

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Lethbridge, Alberta
Bronze member
Subject: Music from the Soul


2008-06-02 3:07 PM
in reply to: #1439214

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Elite
2915
2000500100100100100
New City, New York
Subject: RE: Music from the Soul
Top 5 in your AG, very nice. Sounds like a nice easy effort too. Smart at this point. Job well done!
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