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Carlsbad Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Carlsbad, California
United States
In Motion, Inc.
52F / 11C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 57m 33s
Overall Rank = 1966/7277
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 146/351
Pre-race routine:

Woke up around 2:45am, got about 4 1/2 hrs of sleep. Met up with the rest of the group (12 of us running) and headed out to Carlsbad (50 min drive). Arrived in the parking lot at 4:35am, got front row parking, near the start line and porto-potties, avoided the arrival traffic. We were able to relax, take as many trips to the bathrooms as we wanted without any lines(while they were still clean), and catch a few naps before start time. Ate a peanut butter sandwich about an hour before start.
Event warmup:

Not much of a warmup needed. Took a couple of walks around the registration tent. The majority of the warm up came in the first couple of miles of the run, since it was pretty crowded, the pace was slow.
Run
  • 1h 57m 33s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

First half started out nice and slow. I had been suffering with left quad pain, so I didn't want to push it too fast, too early. My training leading up to the run was nowhere close to sufficient, but I knew this would be a slow run, especially since it was the first event of the year. Everything was working fine for the first 8 miles. No quad pain, no GI problems, HR was good. Then I started to feel chaffing on the bottom of my feet. I had applied glide, but I guess it wasn't enough. The pain got progressively worse. By mile 10 it felt like the soles of my feet were on fire. I knew that it was no longer chaffing, but blisters that were forming on the bottom of both feet. I started altering my stride, come down more on the heel to avoid the pain. Shorter, choppier strides made my quads tighten up, but fortunately no pain. Finished in discomfort, but never stopped running (not sure if I was being dumb, stubborn, proud....whatever, just sucked it up).
What would you do differently?:

Wear different socks. The socks I wore apparently had been worn once too many times! I had trained in those socks, ran other events in those socks, but I guess they were past their life expectancy...causing blister on both feet. The left foot has a blister the size of a nickle, while the right foot's blister was the size of a silver dollar...ouch!
Post race
Warm down:

Not much of a warm down, since I could barely walk after crossing the finish line. Even with the blisters, I was the 2nd runner out of our group of 12 to finish, so I just waited with my wife (who didn't run due to an IT band injury) for the rest of the group to finish. Made a slow, painful walk to the car and headed for a nice, well deserved lunch.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Blisters!

Event comments:

My biggest concerns (GI issues, quad pain) never materialized. The blisters were totally unexpected. Just when you think you got everything under control...bang, something else decides to make the run more challenging.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-01-14 12:00 AM
Running
01:57:33 | 13.1 miles | 08m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 146/351
Overall: 1966/7277
Performance: Below average
6.6 mile/1:03:09 Pace-9:35
Course: Relatively flat, with a few rolling hills. Very scenic as the route headed south on PCH for about 3 miles along the coast. A couple of good, short hills around the 11 mile mark, as we headed off PCH and back through the residential/commercial area. A nice, little 100 yard decline as we headed towards the finish line.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2012-01-25 2:08 AM

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Chula Vista, CA
Subject: Carlsbad Half Marathon
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