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Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Duluth, Minnesota
United States
grandmasmarathon.com
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 11m 46s
Overall Rank = 3054/5041
Age Group = W19-34
Age Group Rank = 808/1485
Pre-race routine:

i didn't have the best night of sleep. not sure why, but i bet it was because my mama instincts wouldn't let go, even though i was off-duty. probably too i was worried about how the girls were doing since it was the first time i've been away overnight since fiona was born. anyway, my sleep was very light and i woke up several times. must have crashed hard at some point early in the morning though, because i didn't hear my alarm go off, but i heard my brother pete get up and hop in the shower. warmed up some oatmeal for both of us, got on my stuff, had a glass of water.
Event warmup:

did the running segment of the 'yoga for athletes' dvd.
Run
  • 2h 11m 46s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 04s  min/mile
Comments:

so, no sub 2 this year. :( not sure if it was a lack of reserves after the repeat of the virus on tuesday, or the heat, or the humidity, or a combination. they raised the black flag, which means 'dangerous conditions, be careful'. the heat and humidity didn't really bother me until mile 8, at which point my body was saying 'go sit down and have something to drink - NOW!!!'. i had been stopping for water, and walking through the waterstops, but after mile 8, i really took my time with the water stops. didn't walk otherwise, but after mile 8 i really had to pull back. i left my brother at mile 3 and took off, but he passed me at some point during the last few miles and ended up beating me. d'oh! oh well, now the pressure is off to beat him every year...and i'm proud of him for having such a great race (he PR'ed at 2:04) in such tough conditions. my friend sonja also had a great race, finishing in 1:54 (kelly, i think we've found our runner!!!!). other folks had slower races because of the conditions, and 13 people were hospitalized (one from a heart attack) and twice as many people than normal were seen in the medical tents. really glad i wasn't one of them. i think if i had pushed harder, i might have been. hard to see 10+ min miles after having sub 9 in at least one race this year, but i'm also glad, like at buffalo, that i was able to listen to my body and do my own race.

oh, and what is up with my age group. 19-34????? the woman who won the thing is in my age group. college track stars? come on now - can't the slower mamas and career women have our OWN group please??? :)
What would you do differently?:

other than not getting so sick this month - nothing. well, maybe figure out the shoe thing earlier. i wore my old shoes, and didn't have the hot ball of foot problem, and no hamstring problems, which was fantastic, but i did end up with a blister on one toe, and a blood blister on another. can't wait to start running in my new shoes which i got right before the race. they are SO comphy, and it was really tempting to run in them yesterday.
Post race
Warm down:

found pete, who was not in the chute behind me, but was already munching on a bagel! hurrah for pete! he got me a bagel and we hopped into the line for the massage tables. after our massages, we got some ice cream, changed clothes, and then walked over to the buses to get back home. i had a NAP all by myself. slept great. drank some water, had some salmon and fruit salad, and watched 'sideways'. went over to my friend sonja's parent's place for a post race party. had a couple beers (yum!), dinner, hung out with sonja, and then headed home. slept GREAT last night! my milk supply peaked last night, but my body figured things out and this morning i was back to my normal size. glad i wasn't overfull for the race.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

being so sick this month and having low reserves compared to normal - and not hitting my training peak prior to the race, also because of being sick during that period of time, heat and humidity, shoes????

Event comments:

i love this race. now i have a new goal for next year of trying, yet again, to break 2:00...and beat my brother again! we made a deal that whoever 'wins' each year, gets to be the first one into the massage tent. i'm a little sad that i didn't meet any of my race goals, other than finishing, but i learned new things just like i did at buffalo, about pacing myself and really paying attention to what my body is telling me. i like to go fast and place and better my times, but i enjoy finishing a race and feeling good doing it even more. anyway, not my best race, but i'm glad i did it.




Last updated: 2006-03-21 12:00 AM
Running
02:11:46 | 13.1 miles | 10m 04s  min/mile
Age Group: 3054/1485
Overall: 808/5041
Performance: Below average
did splits at almost every mile. as you can see, once i hit mile 8, it was all downhill (for me, not for the course! ha ha). 1. 10:10, 2. 9:37, 3. 9:37, 4. 9:23, 5. 9:33, 6. 9:30, 7. 9:30, 8. 10:29, 9. 10:34, 10. 10:34, 11. 10:20, 12. 10:45, 13. 10:10
Course: mostly flat, running along the shore of lake superior, and then into duluth, running through downtown, and curving around to end in canal park.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2006-06-18 10:11 AM

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molto veloce mama
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Subject: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon


2006-06-18 12:15 PM
in reply to: #457787

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Extreme Veteran
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northeast Ohio
Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon

Sounds like fun being able to race with other people you know!  I have got to find some more running friends!  LOL!  Thanks for the race report!  I think you ran a very smart race!

Diane

2006-06-18 5:27 PM
in reply to: #457787

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2006-06-19 5:34 AM
in reply to: #457787

Pro
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Orange Park Florida
Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon

Nice run Autumn! 

When you find a race that has a "slower mamas and career women" catagory let me know because I am looking for one with a "pokey old guys that like to chat" catagory. 

2006-06-19 7:37 AM
in reply to: #457787

Expert
1135
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Delano, MN
Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
Great race Autumn! Hey I'd love to even dream about a 2 hr 1/2 mary. Also good job listening to your body. It is much better to slow down and race another day than to fight to keep you dream pace and end up ruined (possibly for life).

Once again your my hero!
2006-06-19 7:56 AM
in reply to: #457787

Pro
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Wisconsin near the Twin Cities metro
Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
Good job, despite the less than ideal weather conditions.


2006-06-19 8:18 AM
in reply to: #457787

Extreme Veteran
506
500
Twin Cities, MN
Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
You have definitely had your early season challenges this year!  I'm impressed by how you have been able to take less than ideal conditions, learn from it, and not beat  yourself up over "what could have been."  I would take a 2:11 any day!
2006-06-19 10:24 AM
in reply to: #457787

Master
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Dayton, Minnesota
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
Great race Autumn! Sounds like a very nice weekend for you! And glad you found our runner.
2006-06-19 11:02 AM
in reply to: #457787

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2006-06-19 4:54 PM
in reply to: #457787

Pro
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A farming town in MN
Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon

Autumn, congrats on the finish!  It was stinkin' hot wasn't it?  Absolutely not the best conditions...when the winner of the marathon was interviewed after the race, he said that he adjusted his pace to account for the conditions.  His top 2 competitors went out fast and ended up regretting it.  I am glad that all of us (MN BTers) adjusted as necessary to avoid any health issues.

When my clothes were drenched with sweat at mile 4, that was a pretty good indicator that sub-4 was going to be pretty tough.  I'm thinking you may have had the same feeling about a sub-2.

Sorry we couldn't get together.  My schedule was packed for the weekend.  Split rock lighthouse, pasta dinner & expo on Friday.  Marathon, dinner & a movie on Saturday.  Father's Day, church & Gooseberry Falls on Sunday.  Dave & Roger did give me a call from the pasta dinner and we had enough time to meet, snap pictures and introduce family.  We'll try again at some future OWSs or races...

2006-06-19 6:12 PM
in reply to: #458761

molto veloce mama
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Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
thanks, dave.


2006-06-19 6:15 PM
in reply to: #459428

molto veloce mama
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Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
we got into town a bit later than expected, so my brother and i didn't have a ton of time at the expo. amazingly, we ran into a few friends while we were there, which meant we had to really hustle out of there to get home in time for dinner (and i wanted to do a short run before that too). anyway, i didn't remember to bring phone numbers, and if i had, wouldn't have had any extra time. oh well. there will be lots of chances to hang out, i'm sure!

ps. glad you had a busy and fun weekend, and a good race given the conditions!

Edited by autumn 2006-06-19 6:16 PM
2006-06-20 10:20 AM
in reply to: #457787

molto veloce mama
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Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
finally some pictures - not from the race, but from the morning of...





(mepete.jpg)



(legs.jpg)



Attachments
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mepete.jpg (50KB - 60 downloads)
legs.jpg (43KB - 71 downloads)
2006-06-24 3:19 PM
in reply to: #457787

Master
2314
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Gulf Shores, AL
Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
13 people to hospital, ouch. Good job staying out of the hospital and a time most of us would be thrilled with.

I love your pictures. You are always the clown on film. How is the competiton with Pete on the bike??
2006-06-24 4:20 PM
in reply to: #464629

molto veloce mama
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Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
look at the calves and take a wild guess

really, we tend to keep a similar pace on the run. last year i was faster at this race, this year he was. he has never raced other than running, so who knows what he could do if he tri'ed. i've been encouraging him to do the brewhouse short course, but so far, no luck.
2006-06-24 8:01 PM
in reply to: #457787

Elite
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Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
Nice race.  Glad you didn't have to see the med tent either.  Can't believe it was that hot up in Duluth.


2006-06-24 8:53 PM
in reply to: #457787

Expert
997
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Littleton, CO
Subject: RE: Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon
Great job! I hear you about the Mommy nerves and a non-restful night's sleep. BTW-you've got great calves, girlfriend!
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