East Beach Norfolk Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Norfolk, Virginia
United States
55F / 13C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 1h 43m 58s
Overall Rank = 89/347
Age Group = M 35 - 39
Age Group Rank = 15/33
Pre-race routine:

Pre race nutrition was the usual - Cliff Bar, Whey Gatorade Mix, and Red Bull. I was going on crap sleep over the past 3 nights. Last night I didn't get to bed until 2:30, so the 6:30 wake up call wasn't my idea of fun.
Event warmup:

Almost zero warm up. By the time I got out of the bathroom line it was time for the race to start.
Run
  • 1h 43m 58s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 56s  min/mile
Comments:

When I woke, it was pouring outside and I considered bagging the race. I was a little concerned about the humidity as I am not a good humid runner. Temps were in the 50's and humid, but it did stop raining before the start. My goal for the race was sub 1:50 and I figured I could go high 1:40's. My plan was to run 8:10ish pace.

When the gun sounded I was at the back of the pack. It was a small race so passing didn't prove to be too much of a problem. The only problem I had at first is my I-pod stopped working within the first half mile. I was pretty sure it was charged, but it just stopped. First mile was something like 7:35 - too fast! I continued to mess with my I-pod during Mile 2, with no avail. Finally I put it away. Mile 2 & 3 were both 7:30 - 7:40 - still too fast and I could feel it. Finally at Mile 4, I slowed down and found my 8 flat pace. My new pace goal was to see how long I could hold this. At the half way turn my lungs were coming back and I felt much better now that I slowed down. Things were going pretty smooth during the middle miles and I found different pacing partners along the way. About Mile 8 I started to calculate my projected finish time and I realized that if I held 8's I could go sub 1:45, a goal I didn't even have in my mind at the start of the race. About Mile 10 I started to really tire and my hip started to flare up a little. That being said as I reached Mile 11, I was still on pace. This is when I really started feeling bad, but I could taste a huge PR ( or maybe I just threw up in my mouth a little ;) ) I held on the last 2 miles, but these 2 miles were just as hard as the last 2 miles of the Disney Marathon. I crossed Mile 13 at around 1:43 and realized that I was going to do it. Final chip time - 1:43:58 - a PR by over 7 minutes. Wow, not what I expected at all!

What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I had nothing left in the tank at the end.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around, caught my breath, and found my friend who came to see me finish.

Event comments:

2nd annual race - I will do it again next year.




Last updated: 2006-02-01 12:00 AM
Running
01:43:58 | 13.1 miles | 07m 56s  min/mile
Age Group: 15/33
Overall: 89/347
Performance: Good
First 3 miles were 7:30 - 7:40's. After that, I settled right into an 8 flat pace, only varying by 3 or 4 seconds either way.
Course: Out and back along Ocean View. Not a 'pretty' course, but I always seem to run well here for the Norfolk Half and Chesapeake 10k.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4