Saturday I ran the Baltimore Half Marathon (my second Half
Marathon). It (thankfully) was not nearly as challenging as my
first Half Marathon (Virginia Beach RnR).
I was not prepared
for how cold it was Saturday morning. I brought a throw away shirt but that's
it. Thankfully I was given a pair of old throwaway gloves. Next time I will
have a shirt, gloves AND pants that I can wear until right before the race
starts.
 |
| Pre-Race - I had to ditch the headband in my bag before the race |
I went with Kuhlmann
(middle), who I run with at home, he ran the full marathon (and killed it). We
stayed with his college friend (left) who also ran the half marathon (and did
awesome).
 |
| Pre-Race |
13.1 Miles –
Miles 0-2 were frustrating because I was constantly dodging
people.. but that just comes with the big races I guess (25,000 people
running). I dodged people through the rest of the course but the first couple
miles were not good. I was in corral 3 based on my estimated 2:15 finish time
and for the first quarter mile I was going around a 11/min pace because I
couldn't break out of the crowd.
Miles 3-6 were good, I kept reminding myself I do 6
miles almost every day so this was just another run so far. I turned on my
music – which I had issues with the entire race. First it was stuck on repeat,
and then it wouldn’t skip songs. I didn’t let it get me worked up tho, there
was a great crowd of fans and tons of runners. I enjoyed listening to the
runners around me talk. Well except for the guy who took the business phone
call and yelled at the person about how he was running a half marathon and they
shouldn’t be calling him…
Miles 7-9 I ate my gatorade shot blocks around mile
8 and just settled into enjoying the run. I felt relaxed at this point and
focused on just getting to mile 10. At this point I realized a) I was drinking
a lot less water than I did at VA Beach Half AND b) I was not dumping a cup of
water on me at every water station. These things were good signs to me.
Miles 10-11 I kept thinking I was going to hit a wall.
Looking back, I know I was just scared because of VA Beach (where I hit the
wall hard at Mile 11). I started picking up the pace more and realized I could
crush my goal IF I didn’t get injured, get a cramp, etc. I saw a girl wipe out and eat pavement… that made
me even more cautious of watching my feet and where I was stepping.
Miles 12-13.1 I kicked it in high gear and ran faster
than I ever do on Mile 12 (around 8min/mile pace) and then I all out sprinted
the last .10. I was running past so many people going full speed and I STILL
felt good… how this is possible, I have no idea? I had more miles in me when I
crossed the finish line at 2:03:10.
Afterthoughts: This race was just one of those days where everything aligns
perfectly and I know those days are rare. It pains me to think the next half
could be much, much different. I could not have asked for a better race day
experience! I can imagine running 10 more races and this one still being my
favorite.
Race Loves:
- Fans - there
were fans throughout the entire course. In VA Beach
we had 6 miles or so with no one around (other than fellow runners). I
really enjoyed the fans AND the signs the fan had. From
“Call Me Maybe” with a phone number, to “Your Butt Looks Great!” the signs
rocked. I actually wished I was carrying a camera to snap pictures of my
favorites (knowing I would forget a lot of them!).
- Course – I was a
little afraid of a semi-hilly course (even though I train with hills) but
I loved it. Probably because there were so many long, smooth downhills!
Things They Can Improve
- Water Stops –
they should have either a) had them on both sides of the course in most
places OR b) had more tables (so you can pass by the congested first
tables and get to the next ones).
- Finish Line – VA Beach nailed this and Baltimore failed. The finish line area was so congested and messy at VA Beach. I ended up having to ask a little kid to give me a medal… it was a big mass crowd all trying to get their medal, a drink and some food. I almost missed the food completely and never got to the beer. VA Beach had a straight line where you just kept walking and people handed you first your medal, then a water, then it just kept going (snacks, wet towels, etc). I missed a lot of stuff in the finishers area because it was such a horrible mess of people.
Race Details:
Saturday
October 13, 2012
Baltimore
Half Marathon
Baltimore,
MD
Time:
2:03:10
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