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Lake County Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
United States
Midwest Sports Events
45F / 7C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 57m 41s
Overall Rank = 423/
Age Group = Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 15/
Pre-race routine:

Changed things up for this race. During my last few races and long training runs, I have been feeling hungry toward the end and I have been having GI issues. Today I decided to try more pre-race food. One banana and 1/2 bagel with PB at 5:00 a.m. and then another banana and 1/2 bagel with PB at 6:00 a.m. This was perfect, a good omen for the day.
Event warmup:

Ran from my car, about .68 miles. Got a bit of a sweat going, then got my chip and found other Donkeys. Talked with Scott (sbsmann) and his wife then went to the start. Coach Dave asked about my plan. When I replied 9:15 for the first two miles, he said 9:30 would be o.k. too.
Run
  • 1h 57m 41s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

Have you ever started a race and felt like it was going to be "your day"? Well, today was "my day". My "A" race is 30 days away and I have been putting in a lot of miles. Those miles have seemed slow to me. They are banked miles though and they paid off at this race. Today I started nice and easy (finally) and put down a 9:28 and 9:05 to start and stayed at a very consistent pace the rest of the way. As each mile passed, I just felt really good. The big hill at mile 5 was no problem. In fact, it was the first race where I did not walk a hill. I just kept plugging along and kept feeling good. I stayed with a lot of the same people most of the race, talked to one guy at mile 8 who asked me what my goal was. I replied "sub 2". He chuckled and said "you are going to do that easily today". Thanks buddy, you were right. He found me after the race to congratulate me. I never did get his name or number. Nice guy.

I didn't pay too much attention to my mile splits until I saw the mile 11 split on the Garmin...8:48!!! I really got excited at that point because that meant I had almost 21 minutes to cover 2.1 miles and still beat 2:00. Mile 12 was 9:06 because I took a few walking steps at the last water station to make sure I had a little Gatorade to push to the finish. Mile 13 was 8:47, which I am so happy with because that included the last long hill.

The finish was interesting. Dave was with me for the last 3/4 mile or so, yelling at me to NOT look at my watch. Once I got to the parking lot it was two quick turns to the finish. With about 25 yards to go, I passed a girl. She then sprinted to pass me. My competitive juices were sky high. I passed her with 5 yards to go and threw up my hands and screamed as I crossed the line. I've never really had a finish like that before, but it has been nine attempts to break 2:00 in a 1/2 marathon and I finally did it!!!

A huge THANK YOU to Dave Jesse. The workouts have obviously helped. The hills, the track workouts...it all adds up in the end. Thanks for your confidence in me and thanks for pushing me out of my comfort level.

Thanks to all the BTer's for the inspires and a big thank you to the Tuesday night group as well. You people are AWESOME!!!!!!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing! A PR by almost 6 minutes!!! In fact, every new thing I tried today was perfect. In addition to the extra pre-race food, I took an extra Roctane gel. My usual is one at the start and one at the halfway point, but today I also took one at mile 9.75 to give me a little boost to the finish. Also, my choice of alternating water and Gatorade at successive aid stations worked well. Like I said, it was "my day".
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around, grabbed some Gatorade. My wife and kids showed up for hugs. Talked to Scott and his group some more, found other friends who raced. Heard many stories of good races. It makes sense since the conditions were perfect. Grabbed some food with Nashers, Amy F and Jim Webs. Fun times had by all!!!

Event comments:

I love this race no matter which course they use. Just a fun day as usual. I know a lot of racers and volunteers at this race so it is great fun for me.




Last updated: 2010-08-02 12:00 AM
Running
01:57:41 | 13.1 miles | 08m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Course: Prety flat, flatter than previous years. One hill shortly after the start, then two bigger hills between mile 5 and 6.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2010-09-04 3:46 PM

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Expert
1105
1000100
Milwaukee, WI
Subject: Lake County Half Marathon


2010-09-04 7:43 PM
in reply to: #3082223

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Veteran
268
1001002525
Germantown, WI
Subject: RE: Lake County Half Marathon
Great job out there Pete.  Congrats on the PR, you really nailed it.  When everything goes right it does have to be your day.  Now carry that through to Lakefront!!
2010-09-04 9:59 PM
in reply to: #3082223

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Master
1553
10005002525
Elm Grove
Subject: RE: Lake County Half Marathon

Congrats again dude.  Awesome race.

2010-09-05 8:34 AM
in reply to: #3082223

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Expert
1121
1000100
Menomonee Falls, WI
Subject: RE: Lake County Half Marathon
Super job out there and you sure are on pace to rock the Lakefront Marathon!
2010-09-05 9:09 AM
in reply to: #3082223

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Veteran
279
100100252525
Subject: RE: Lake County Half Marathon
Awesome job out there Pete - SUPER proud of you and how hard you have worked this summer! CONGRATS!!!
2010-09-07 12:25 PM
in reply to: #3082223

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Elite
3518
20001000500
Madison, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Lake County Half Marathon

Awesome run!! Congrats! All your hard work is really paying off!



2010-09-07 1:00 PM
in reply to: #3082223

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Master
1732
100050010010025
Delafield, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Lake County Half Marathon
Big Congrats to you Pete. So happy you smashed the PR and hit your goal!
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