kodi
Well-known member
Yesterday was the 3rd annual local half marathon. The race director puts on a class event for a community of 45,000. Runners from around the US and even one from Australia this year. I’m training for a June marathon and this was almost perfect timing for testing the waters, only the test wasn’t quite what I wanted or expected. I was hoping to run about 2:15 – 2:20 (10:20 – 10:40 pace), a little slower than some of my shorter distance training runs and a lot slower than my pace workouts. I promised myself to stay at about 11:00 minutes the first 2 to 3 miles. At mile 2 my time was 21:50, right on target, mile 3, 10:32…good. Until mile 7 I was a little behind target running about 10:48 pace. Then the wheels fell off. Not sure what happened exactly since I used some GU and energy shots. Form 7 ½ until 9 I was really struggling and at the turnaround (8.4 miles), we can straight into a nasty headwind. I did manage to run most of the way back with a couple one minute breaks. My finish time was 2:29:14. I was first in my AG (easy to do when you get old). It was also a POPR (Post Operation Personal Record) by a minutes and a half. In retrospect I have two excuses, first some dehydrations and my right quad starting to cramp. At one of the water stations I grabbed water and Gatorade; drank the Gatorade and the water cup was empty. At the turnaround they were out of cups so I tried drinking from a gallon bottle without putting my mouth on it. Got cooled off and some inside but not enough. The other was the nasty headwind on the return as well as the 77º weather.
