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US Half Marathon - San Francisco - RunHalf Marathon


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San Francisco, California
United States
US Half Marathon
50F / 10C
Precipitation
Total Time = 2h 33m 45s
Overall Rank = 2295/2976
Age Group = F 20-29
Age Group Rank = 510/705
Pre-race routine:

Woke up to the pouring rain. The forecast had predicted rain so I had my biking rain jacket to wear over my running 3/4 length tights, singlet and arm warmers. I got dressed, ate a banana and a Larabar and headed out. My husband and father-in-law dropped me off at the race and I hit the bathroom before it got too crowded.
Event warmup:

None, just huddled under a tent with a bunch of other runners to try to stay a tiny bit dry.
Run
  • 2h 33m 45s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

Wow. The rain made this race INSANE! I was running this as a training race during my recovery week so I decided to try to take it easy but also put in a time I was ok with. This is about 10 minutes off my PR which I set in February and given the conditions I'm ok with that.

It basically poured rain the entire run. After about two miles I gave up on trying to keep my socks dry and just slogged through the puddles. I was wearing my bike arm warmers which were a God send because even when soaking wet they kept me warm. Felt pretty good most of the run, walked some of the steep uphills going up to the Golden Gate Bridge on both the south and north sides. Other than that just tried to keep a steady pace.

Favorite part of the race was on the north side of the bridge we got to run down a dirt trail to cross under the bridge and go back on the other side. The trail was a mud pit and everyone was giggle like kids and splashing in the mud on the run down the hill.

Once we got back to the SF side of the bridge and onto Crissy Field I started to get a bit tired and was ready to be done with running in the rain. Around mile 11 I decided to pick it up and kick it the last two miles to the finish.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I had fun given that this was a training run and the weather was as bad as it was.
Post race
Warm down:

None, wanted to get home ASAP to get into the shower so found my husband and his parents and headed to the car.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Marathon training. I don't have the speed I had earlier in the year since I'm focusing on finishing my first marathon in December.

Event comments:

I don't know if the race is disorganized or the lack of volunteers due to the rain hurt them, but I was not impressed. They only had 6 aid stations which wasn't enough and only had water and Cytomax (no gels, etc). One aid station ran out of cups and another ran out of water, and there were not enough porta-potties at the start line. Glad I carried my handheld bottle and my own nutrition. I wasn't impressed overall and I'm glad I didn't pay full price (thank you Groupon) to race.




Last updated: 2010-09-10 12:00 AM
Running
02:33:45 | 13.1 miles | 11m 44s  min/mile
Age Group: 510/705
Overall: 2295/2976
Performance: Average
Course: The race kicks off on the waterfront in Aquatic Park on historic Muni Pier with sweeping views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. The course travels through the Marina, Crissy Field, the Presidio and across the famous Golden Gate Bridge, exposing breathtaking sights of the San Francisco cityscape. You’ll return along the Golden Gate Promenade, up through Fort Mason and to the grand musical finish in Aquatic Park.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
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? No
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2010-11-09 2:42 PM

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Subject: US Half Marathon - San Francisco
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