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The Woodlands Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Houston, Texas
United States
60F / 16C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 42m 18s
Overall Rank = 1132/1859
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 212/233
Pre-race routine:

Got up early to drive to the race. Had a peanutbutter sandwich on the way. Wasn't feeling particulary great. The race morning was cold and we got to the parking lot and put on race numbers. I didn't do a praticularly good job of having race nutrition laid out. In fact didn't really bring anything.

I am starting to test out the new polar watch so I put it on next to my Garmin. I had set it up for the first time the night before and had not yet used it.
Event warmup:

Walked to the race start. Only got there with 10-15 minutes in advance.
Run
  • 2h 42m 18s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 12m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

This was my second half marathon, and my first wzs 2 weeks prior. I knew this was going to be a much easier course than austin and hoped to take several minutes off of it.

I started the run and started my garmin, my polar, and runkeeper on my phone. Sadly, I forgot to start the GPS for the polar so it appears to have calculated the distance off of the foot pod, that I had not setup properly.

As with Austin I ran the race side by side with my wife. We started out following the 2:30 pace group. The pacer did not stop for water at the first aid station, but we did ... we were about 1 minute behind them for the next 3 miles or so when my wife needed to make a pit stop. There was a line so we dropped back about 7 minutes due to the pause.

We continued on through the course getting water at each station, i got Gels as well and tried to keep a steady pace. We started to slow around mile 10. Managed to keep at a run through the end, though I really wanted to walk the last few miles. I got ahead of my wife toward the end but slowed down so we crossed together.

I had some leg pain from the beginning so I also wanted to take it slow to not over do there. It didn't cause a limp or any particular issue, but it was concerning.

I took some brief video of me running and the watches along the way as well as a few sets of pictures.
What would you do differently?:

I think this race was executed fairly well, despite the slow over all time. We cut about 3 minutes off of austin, but could have done better had we not stopped for 6 minutes along the way.

Also, if I really want to PR I will have to run on my own, but at this point my self pacing is not strong enough for a half marathon. I am fairly sure I could have made the 2:30 pace though, and think in my next standalone half I might want to try running with the 2:15 pace group.
Post race
Warm down:

Found a restroom.... then got my shirt, found a little food and walked to the car.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training, various leg concerns.

Event comments:

The course itself was well done and the aid stations were near perfect. The volunteers had not been taught to squeeze the cups and were a little overwhelmed but otherwise good.

The post race activities could have been done better. There was a very long line for the finishers shirt and a second one for the food. They were in different areas and I know one person who did not get a shirt because they didn't see the area, and my wife got the wrong size.

We gave up on the food, and just grabbed an orange.

Overall a good race and we will probably be back... maybe a full next year... maybe.




Last updated: 2012-01-07 12:00 AM
Running
02:42:18 | 13.1 miles | 12m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 212/233
Overall: 1132/1859
Performance:
Course: The course was incredibly flat around the woodlands mall area. There was a lot of wooded area, and a lot of long straight stretches where the runners had a full lane and shoulder and cars had the other lane. There was very little car traffic backed up. Aid stations were setup every mile and they had some incentive to be happy. None of the live music of austin but a nice setup all the same. Some of the early aid stations were slightly behind on filling cups, but over all it was very good. There were 2 cliff gell stations along the route. The full course is a 2 loop of the half course so at my pace I got to see several of the full runners pass startign at mile 7.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2012-03-10 12:56 PM

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General Discussion Race Reports! » The Woodlands Half Marathon Rss Feed