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Key West Half Marathon - Run


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Key West, Florida
United States
BW Promotions
72F / 22C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 59m 59s
Overall Rank = 2091/2589
Age Group = Male Walker
Age Group Rank = 11/27
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5:15, got dressed, ate breakfast (Belvita Breakfast Biscuits, Golden Oats with crunchy peanut butter and a small glass of 1% milk), packed my bag with dry clothes and shoes. Then got the emails that the start was being pushed back an hour to allow the severe weather to pass. Reset my alarm and went back to bed. Slept another 30-40 minutes, storm passed, got up again, put on my awesome trash bag poncho and started the 2.5 mile bike ride to the start area. Oh, and this was my wife's first half and she was FREAKING out! I think she paced a good mile or so in the 10x12 foot room while I took my nap.
Event warmup:

The aforementioned 2.5 mile bike ride, in the rain, into the wind, in the dark, was all we needed to get ready.
Run
  • 2h 59m 59s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 13m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

This was the first race I've done with my wife. We trained for 6 weeks and our results far exceeded my expectations. I thought we would be in the 3:10 - 3:20 range, I never would have imagined seeing 2:xx on my watch when we crossed the line. I knew we would not be last, this was my wife's biggest fear, but again, I didn't think we would pass over 500 people on the course. We decided to hit the porta-pottie after the gun went off and before we crossed the start line, so we were within a person or two of being DFL at the start. At some point during the race she even said "the next one we do" which I will remind her of at some point in the near future.
What would you do differently?:

Longer training time leading up to the race.
Post race
Warm down:

Tried to find some shade and beer. Shade was hard to find and the beer line was a huge disappointment. I'm not an IPA fan, so the beer was not what I wanted. Ended up finding a bench under a tree while my wife got in line for iced Cuban coffee. Where was that at mile 10?

What limited your ability to perform faster:

30+ mph head wind and all of the run/walk idiots that would sprint past us then stop and stroll. There should be an "if you pass someone 10 times" rule where you can force them to take a time out.

Event comments:

Seeing as this was one of the few, if not only the half marathon that was not cancelled because of the weather on this particular weekend, I was very happy with the event. The RD did a great job of planning ahead for course changes and communicated the changed start time very well. I can't imagine the sleepless night and nervous stomach the RD had with what was being forecast, but from a participant's perspective, it was a very smooth and well run race. We will be back.




Last updated: 2015-12-10 12:00 AM
Running
02:59:59 | 13.1 miles | 13m 44s  min/mile
Age Group: 11/27
Overall: 2091/2589
Performance: Good
Course: Basically an out and back with a few modifications each way. Start was near the marina then went down Duval St. before winding south along Higg's and Smather's beaches. Turn around was by the airport (east end of the island) and then back along the same route. The original route included a loop on the White St. pier but that had to be scrapped with 30+ mph winds pushing 4-6 foot waves over the pier. Instead, they added an out and back at about the 11.5 mile mark that was a mental killer. Just when you thought you were going to start turning towards the finish line, nope, they sent you away from it to add the missing distance. After getting back on the original course, the race went out through Mallory Square (windiest part of the race) before winding it's way back to the marina area and the finish line.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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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