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Shamrock Marathon - Run


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Virginia Beach, Virginia
United States
J&A Racing
45F / 7C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 04m 11s
Overall Rank = 60/2112
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 12/134
Pre-race routine:

Alarm at 5:55am (for 8:30am start). Woke up and made a cup of coffee with the Aeropress. Had Tailwind and some water. Bagel w/ almond butter. That's it.
Event warmup:

Pooped, dropped bag off, then did about 3-5 minutes of light jogging on street.
Run
  • 3h 04m 11s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 07m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

Overall, ran this race really smartly. I started out running with the 3:05 pace group. They kept a pretty steady 7:00 pace and also blocked the wind for me. I played it smart by trying to draft behind people when I could.

By about mile 12 or so, it was clear that the pace group was going a little too slowly. A pack of 5 began a small breakaway up the boardwalk. I joined it, but soon realized they were going 5 seconds or per mile too fast for me at that moment. So I had to make the decision whether to stick with them, and potentially burn myself a little, or drop back and run solo in the wind. I chose the latter. It was a tough decision, but I was able to creep up on a bunch of dropped runners who were slowing down, so that provided some draft relief here and there.

I'm thinking that the drafting aspect of this race was primarily a psychological booster, but I'm also beginning to think that it actually could have made a not insignificant physiological difference--that is to say, the wind probably could've added a minute to my time, had I not run smartly and behind big people.
What would you do differently?:

I would maybe cool my jets a little longer before kicking it home. Also, I wouldn't try to pound it home at mile 22 like I did--that was WAY too early. I nearly blew up from cramping in hamstrings in the last 2 miles. I'm pretty sure it was because I began my finishing push at mile 22...

I'd also be sure to hydrate and top up electrolytes a little better. I was definitely slightly dehydrated at the beginning and I also know I lost a lot of electrolytes.
Post race
Warm down:

Jogged for about 2 minutes. Realized it hurt and probably wasn't a good idea to keep going.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Limited winter training long runs. And limited speed workouts.

Event comments:

The set-up, atmosphere, and post-race festivities are awesome! The only reason I knocked a point off is because the course is rather boring.




Last updated: 2015-03-22 12:00 AM
Running
03:04:11 | 26.2 miles | 07m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 12/134
Overall: 60/2112
Performance: Good
Average HR of 167, which is 87% of max--holy cow I held a high HR! Really solid pacing: 7:04, 6:55, 6:57, 6:53, 7:02 6:58, 6:57, 6:54, 6:57, 6:58 6:52, 7:03, 6:51, 7:02, 6:59 7:00, 7:02, 7:03, 7:01, 7:12 6:54, 7:03, 6:58, 6:54, 7:11 6:52, 2:33 Clearly, miles 16-20 were my sag miles. All of them were above 7:00 pace, and at HR of about 163-165. I guess I was feeling the fatigue from the start, and was also realizing I needed to conserve some energy for the last 10 miles. Shamrock results here: https://www.raceit.com/results/default.aspx?event=26268&r=10025&p=2
Course: South along the boardwalk to mile 2 bridge, then another 3-4 miles to the turnaround, then back to the bridge (mile 10), then a straight shot north up the boardwalk, followed by the loop around the fort around miles 19-22. Then the final straightaway to the finish on 31st St.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too easy
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2015-03-23 6:49 AM

Member
9

Washington, DC
Subject: Shamrock Marathon


2015-03-25 11:49 PM
in reply to: #5102679

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Pro
6520
50001000500
Bellingham, WA
Subject: RE: Shamrock Marathon

Congrats on a great race.  I was curious how the wind was going to play out on that course.

2015-03-27 3:06 PM
in reply to: #5102679

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Master
2725
200050010010025
Washington, DC Metro
Subject: RE: Shamrock Marathon

Nice run, and the wind on that course is always the killer.  Finding the right group to draft off is critical... unfortunately for me, I usually run that race with my wife I end up being the wall for her to draft off of!

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