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Army Run Half Marathon - Run


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Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
Canada Army Run
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 02m 47s
Overall Rank = 2096/4562
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 113/289
Pre-race routine:

I was staying at the Westin not far from the race start. I went down to starbucks and got a latte and a bagel for breakfast. I didn't fuss too much about getting ready - i got dressed making sure to put on Body Glide since I knew I was likely to forget and head out with out it.
Event warmup:

After meeting up with my brother in law, i gave him my phone and sweater and headed for the porta potties. I felt like i didn't go enough. eeps. I made my way over to the corrals for the 9:30 start. I did not know it would take so long to start because i was in green corral and we were brought up as corrals to start separately. It was finally about 9:45 when we were are the starting arch.
Run
  • 2h 02m 47s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 22s  min/mile
Comments:

I signed up for this race about two weeks before race day after realizing i could piggyback on my husband's work trip. I've wanted to do this race since it started but with doing triathlons and having kids it never made it in the schedule and thinking about it i wasn't likely to make it happen in the near future either. I'd been running on the weekends with my neighbour was doing about 14k. So why not now? I wasn't in fantastic shape for it but i wasn't at zero either.

With that in mind, i signed up for the over 2 hour corral and stayed at the front it when lining up. I was sure i wouldn't aim for sub 2 but i could push it a bit and try to enjoy the day.

It was a slight uphill and turn in the first kilometer as you pass right by parliament and head along there seeing the various government institutions and it opened up along the river. there was lots of space. It was a beautiful morning so i just took it in. The first aid station was playing 'Jump Around' which was fun.

My pace was pretty strong considering and i took some nuun at the aid stations. We crossed into Gatineau, Quebec around 7km and it was definitely the quietest part of the course. Kind of sketchy abandoned industrial lands (one building was being demolished as we passed) and it was definitely rolling but it didn't bother me. i was thinking about porta potties. I kind of had to pee and it stayed with me for a long time but I really didn't want to stop.

We crossed back into Ottawa around the half way mark - i think 10.5k was on the bridge. I passed a veteran running with a service dog. I was pleasantly surprised when we actually turned in the gates of Rideau Hall and ran on the grounds. It looked like the GG's own marching band was out in their full snazzy uniforms. And that was something I loved about this race - there were marching bands in a few spots - Cadet groups, a school group, etc.

I was starting to get tired and then i saw them handing out gels at one aid station and realized i hadn't taken in anything I didn't feel hungry but that wasn't a good reason not to be fueling so i took one of my gels and opened it and then took a quick walk through the next aid station to take liquid with it and then i was on my way again.

I was still feeling strong when i saw my sister and BIL by the Westin. I was so happy to be in the last stretch. I did start to cry where they had photos of fallen soldiers along the road but it was making me hyperventilate so i had to stop looking. It took longer than i liked before we crossed the canal and were on our way to the finish line. But i was able to pick it up for the last bit and felt really good to cross. I was pretty pleased with finishing 2:02:47 - only 3 minutes difference from my spring race!
What would you do differently?:

Trained more specifically ... if i knew i was going to do it.
Post race
Warm down:

Not too much. It's a long finishing chute. Got my dog tag medal, got water and walked over to the food area. I met up with my sister at our pre-determined meeting area.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not specifically training for this race.

Event comments:

I really liked this race. The course is well set up and passes by lots of landmarks. There are quiet sections but they have big aid stations, marching bands and other entertainment. I thought it was really cool to run right on the ground of Rideau Hall (the Governor General's residence) and finishing along the canal at City Hall was very convenient.




Last updated: 2018-09-10 12:00 AM
Running
02:02:47 | 13.1 miles | 09m 22s  min/mile
Age Group: 113/289
Overall: 2096/4562
Performance: Good
Course: Has quite a bit in common with the Ottawa marathon. Starts at City Hall and goes along by Parliament, crosses into Gatineau and then ends up along the canal. Different in enough ways to make it fun.
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? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2018-10-05 10:03 AM

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Master
4117
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Toronto
Bronze member
Subject: Army Run Half Marathon


2018-10-05 10:38 AM
in reply to: #5250263

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Master
2429
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Falls Church, Virginia
Subject: RE: Army Run Half Marathon
Wow, way to go! That's a great showing, especially since you weren't specifically training for it.
2018-10-05 2:13 PM
in reply to: #5250263

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Pennsylvania
Subject: RE: Army Run Half Marathon

Wow, impressive result for not training specifically for this race!!  It sounds like you had a good day and got to cross a race off the wish list, yeah!!  Congratulations!

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