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SONO Half Marathon - Run


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Norwalk, Connecticut
United States
50F / 10C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 39m 17s
Overall Rank = 98/1002
Age Group = M30 - 39
Age Group Rank = 33/153
Pre-race routine:

After my duathlon season ended, I used the Hal Higdon half marathon plan to attempt a half PR (previous best was 1:45). I ran the Philly Rock and Roll half in September and completely blew up after mile 9. I attributed it to the high humidity which also forced me to walk the end of an Olympic Duathlon run in August. I noticed this local race, waited to make sure the weather had a better outlook and then pulled the trigger on signing up.
Run
  • 1h 39m 17s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

Perfect weather for a race. My plan was to try to keep my pace semi-conservative for the first 6 miles through the hillier sections and then assess from there. I felt strong for the first few miles and was about on the pace I expected. I glanced at my HR and noticed it was a touch higher than I was expecting but I felt right where I wanted to be RPE-wise, so I ignored it.

Still felt great after mile 6 and was cruising. Another glance at the HR, showed high 170s which is usually more in line with my 10k HR. Hmm...still feel OK based on perceived effort, so I'll just ignore the HR a little while longer.

Miles 6 - 10 were more of the same. Cruising speed. The hill at mile 10 caught me a little by surprise. Surged over the hill and used the slight down-hill to recover. By the time I hit mile 11, I was feeling the hurt. This is when I really started to question the elevated HR and whether I could sustain until the finish. I thought back to my last 2 blow-ups and convinced myself with some positive to embrace the suffering and finish it out.

Mile 12 to finish were a struggle, but I knew it would be flat running. I was so happy to see the mile 13 marker. As I turned toward the finish I could see the clock and knew I would hit my sub 1:40 goal and beat my mental demons that wanted me to walk.


What would you do differently?:

Ran this race to the best of my ability. Surprised myself with high HR. Looking at splits - looks like a slight negative split - I think in large part due to the hills at the beginning slowing my first half time down.
Post race
Event comments:

Great race! Well organized with volunteers and police manning intersections, plenty of aid stations, and a well-marked course. After the race they had Colony Pizza, ice cream, massages and other fun activities.




Last updated: 2016-10-17 12:00 AM
Running
01:39:17 | 13.1 miles | 07m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 33/153
Overall: 98/1002
Performance: Good
Average HR 174
Course: http://www.sonohalf.com/course Semi-hilly for first 6 miles, then small rollers to flat until the finish.
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 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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2016-10-17 7:39 AM

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Subject: SONO Half Marathon


2016-10-19 7:40 PM
in reply to: #5202097

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Westchester, NY
Subject: RE: SONO Half Marathon
Nice time ! I did SONO too. The ice cream at mile 12.5 was a hoot !

I was coming back from an Achilles injury, so I was unsure as to what was going to transpire.
The first 4 were a breeze for me. Then the Achilles started barking. I have no idea how I finished the race. I knew the distance wasn't going to be an issue, I was just worried I might rupture the Achilles.
Perhaps my slowest 1/2 ever !

Here it is 4 days later and I still can't really walk norammly.

But a great after race party ! And it was a 5 star day for racing !
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