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Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Virginia Beach, Virginia
United States
Elite Racing
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 12m 48s
Overall Rank = 15444/17023
Age Group = Female
Age Group Rank = 8292/9579
Pre-race routine:

2 mini raisin bagels, handful of pretzels, 20 oz gatorade. Got to site, found quiet place to do yoga/stretch under the stars and waited for sunrise. 12 oz water, 1 bag sport beans at site. Calmly walked around to release nervous energy. Hardest part was being in corral and not able to move! I thought I was going to pass out from being so nervous and nowhere to go!
Event warmup:

Yoga/ stretching. Walk calmly.
Run
  • 3h 12m 48s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 14m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

Decided to walk first 1/2 mile to let crowd thin out. then run 1 mi, walk 1/2mi plan. Before mile 2, I had crazy stabbing pain on the medial side of my right kneecap. Felt like someone stabbing a railroad spike into my knee. Had to reevaluate race approach and concentrate on just finishing. Walked more than I liked, but the pain was nearly unbearable. Felt blisters around mile 7. Finished race strong and on adrenaline. Couldn't walk the rest of the day due to knee pain. Limped/barely walked for a week later.
Had a great day, refused to think negatively. Enjoyed the WHOLE race with a smile on my face.
Took Fuel Belt: 1 gel flask of 3 gels w/ little water, pocket with 2 more gels, other flasks with Gatorade. Took in 1 gel every three miles. Drank to thirst with Gatorade. Couple gulps at each hydration station. Gel flask empty by mile 8. Took in another gel on mile 9. Felt good for race. No blood sugar issues.
What would you do differently?:

NO Body Glide on feet!!!!!!! TERRIBLE blisters. Lost most of my little toes and the sides of my big toes.
Run straight instead of cross-crossing course around people. Zig-zag killed my knee.
Train more. Knee issues made this a race I was almost not ready for. Want to work up to running whole thing next year.
Post race
Warm down:

Stretching, 2 bottles of Accelerade. Limped 15 blocks back to hotel room and soaked in Epsom salts before lunch. Needed to cool down to be able to eat!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Severe knee pain early on. Would have liked to have more consistent training before race.

Event comments:

GREAT race. Lots of encouraging volunteers. GREAT bands on course. GREAT support and encouragement by other athletes. A perfect race for my first half-mary.




Last updated: 2007-10-08 12:00 AM
Running
03:12:48 | 13.1 miles | 14m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/9579
Overall: 0/17023
Performance: Below average
Course: Flat course, except for 1 bridge/overpass... mostly shaded. Great spirit and cheering on course. Bands make it TONS of fun!
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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2007-10-08 9:14 AM

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Member
28
25
Newport News, VA
Subject: Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon


2007-10-08 10:59 AM
in reply to: #996225

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Expert
1028
100025
Chandler, AZ
Subject: RE: Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon
TriChica-

Great Job on finishing. Your story is common to many first timers including myself. I walked half of the Maui Half in my first race. I have completed several halfs and two fulls (LA and Rock and Roll). Stairs quickly become your worst enemy after a race like this.

I have found that adding a little strength training to my running programs have eliminated any of the pain issues that can creep up. I also try to start in a corral that is above my finishing time to avoid all of the walkers. You also learned that criss crossing simply adds stress and mileage to your body.

I have found that the majority of people will congratulate you on your accomplishment rather than focusing on the fact that you walked some of the race.

So congratulations. Now that you have this experience the next will be much easier for you.
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