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TRIUMPH DEVELOPMENT Vail Pass Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Vail, Colorado
United States
Teva
50F / 10C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 47m 54s
Overall Rank = 13/100
Age Group = 40-49
Age Group Rank = 2/15
Pre-race routine:

Woke up, loaded up the car... grabbed a coffee and a Red Bull, ate a bagel
Rolled up to the starting line and admired a very deep field of elite uphill runners.
Event warmup:

Nada
Run
  • 1h 47m 54s
  • 13.7 miles
  • 07m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

13.7 miles/3,156 feet of ascent. No flats, no downs just a long run up!

I ran well. I had no preconceived idea of how fast I could run this course. To be honest, I was a little conservative because I ride my bike up this pass regularly and I thought that it would be harder than it was. Also, I have a bike TT up the pass in the morning and a HIM next weekend. At the start the elites took off and a second group formed. I was in the back of the second group but didn't want to push it. I didn't pass anyone until about the 4th mile and I got passed around the 5th mile. I re-passed this person at 6 and dropped him. I was happy to hit the 6 mile mark in 42:09. I think that was pretty quick for the first 6 - I was hoping to go under 45, so I exceeded my expectations there. From 6 the grade up the pass sharpens. I was feeling good but couldn't pass anyone. At Mile 10 (the steepest section) I passed a great triathlete from the Western Slope of CO and put a lot of distance on him. From there I closed the gap on the next two guys but couldn't quite catch them. I felt great at 10,000 feet and was running fairly effortlessly. I hit 13.1 miles in a respectable 1:42 so that was cool too. When I finished new that I left a little on the course but felt great about my effort.
What would you do differently?:

I could have run the first half harder and maybe cracked the top ten. It was very difficult to catch runners on the steep second half. Still, considering that this is just a "fun" race to prepare me for IM Kansas 70.3 next week, I'm stoked
Post race
Warm down:

Nada... ran into my buddy Rachel who was at the top with her hubby. Talked to some of the runners and then loaded up on the bus to head back down the mountain. I would have ran back if I wasn't racing tomorrow. I felt that fresh!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Mental anguish about how hard I anticipated some of the steep pitches to be.

Event comments:

I cannot say enough about this race! Absolutely awesome and a great value! $35 entry, the BEST goodie bag anywhere. I got a high quality tech shirt in MY SIZE, a visor, two types of sunglasses chums, a Nalgene bottle, Natural dog food, a bunch of little munchies by Naked and on and on... Also, the field was stacked with awesome runners including the legendary Matt Carpenter - arguably the greatest uphill runner in the world and of all time, Ricky Gates, Simon Gutierrez - Both former USAT Mountain Runners of the Year, Duncan Callahan - Winner of the Leadville 100 and more! A total thrill!




Last updated: 2009-06-03 12:00 AM
Running
01:47:54 | 13.7 miles | 07m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/15
Overall: 13/100
Performance: Average
AVG HR 155
Course: The race began at Golden Peak in Vail and meandered uphill through the Vail Country Club before heading through East Vail and up Vail Pass finishing at the top of the pass. The course ascends 3156 feet finishing at above 10,600 feet.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2009-06-06 9:07 PM

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Expert
622
500100
Conifer, Colorado
Subject: TRIUMPH DEVELOPMENT Vail Pass Half Marathon


2009-06-06 10:45 PM
in reply to: #2199659

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.
2009-06-07 3:49 PM
in reply to: #2199659

Official BT Coach
2210
2000100100
Englewood, CO
Subject: RE: TRIUMPH DEVELOPMENT Vail Pass Half Marathon

Great race and smart!  Next week is more important!

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