Annapolis Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Annapolis, Maryland
United States
Second Wind Productions
37F / 3C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 48m 6s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Run
  • 1h 48m 6s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 15s  min/mile
Comments:

My first half marathon, and the first time I have ever run more than 10 miles. Felt pretty good overall out there today. Took a mile or two to get warmed up but after that I was able to keep a mostly sustainable pace.

Split at the 10-mile mark was 1:20, so apparently I slowed down a bit for the last 5k, although I didn't feel like it.
What would you do differently?:

I was saving a bit of extra kick for the very end, expecting the finish line to be up the hill near the stadium where the start line was. But it ended somewhat abruptly in the middle of the road. I had a bit left in the tank and probably could have cut off another 20-30 seconds if I had known.
Post race
Warm down:

Stretched, waited for a buddy to finish, and froze my tail off. Didn't stay for much after-party because I got so cold.

Event comments:

This was the inaugural race of the Annapolis Half, so I guess some hiccups are to be expected. The race has potential, but there are some things the organizers really need to work on:

1. The race started 20 minutes late because the course wasn't cleared in time. This wouldn't be a big deal if it were warmer, but standing around in 35-degrees in running clothes is not much fun.

2. There were no mile markers on the course, which was annoying because I don't like to wear my Garmin when I race. Oddly, I saw a big pile of mile markers lying on the ground at the finish line. No idea why they didn't put them up.

3. No gatorade at the finish. Maybe this is picky, but for a $100 entry fee it would be nice to have more to drink than just water.

4. Absolutely need to re-route or otherwise fix the trail section of the course, especially if they are hoping to grow this race. Way too crowded, slowed folks down, and dangerous.




Last updated: 2011-10-31 12:00 AM
Running
01:48:06 | 13.1 miles | 08m 15s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Course: Overall a nice course with the exception of miles 8-10. Beginning goes through historic Annapolis. Some challenging hills, but mostly the long/gradual type; nothing too steep. But, miles 8-10 are a disaster - they need to do something about that. They are along a very narrow trail with mud and branches in the way. And it is on the out-and-back part so traffic is going two directions. This made it very congested with ~4000 runners out there. Kept getting stuck behind people and had one very near-miss collision with somebody going in the opposite direction.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]