Sunday, February 21, 2010

Have a good time at half marathon - CHECK!!!



I have been finished my half marathon for 9 hours and I am still flying high from those wonderful endorphins.  I didn't have a PR but I was certainly pleased about many aspects of my race.  I have done about 10? half marathons and my time today was probably somewhere in the middle for my times. I raced it in 2:05:08 which was a 9:34 pace.  I was 10/24 in my age group.  And 716/1153 overall. My friend who came with me remarked at all the younger people that came in after me!

I cannot remember each mile to give a race recap but I do have lots to tell! I am going to talk about things in no order that makes sense.

My Consistent Pace
 I was most pleased with my consistent miles.  I often start out way too fast, settle into a pace I am going for and slow waaaayy down near the end.  Today I had a small spread over all 13 miles.  I swore that my last 3 miles were wicked fast. I thought I really picked up the pace and was going much faster than I had been. I was not but it was slightly faster. I guess it just felt quite different from my usual slowing down.
Here are my mile times.
 1 - 9:29
2- 9:29
3- 9:31
4 9:29
5 9:16 (fastest mile - I do remember thinking it was a good one!)
6 9:20
7 9:36
8 9:33
9 9:37
10 9:39 (slowest mile - it was after this that I thought I was going wicked fast)
11 9:32 (7 seconds faster)
12 9:27
13 9:28
13.1 8:37
Here I am very pleased with my race!!


Following/passing other racers
Overall I loved the race.  I felt like I passed many more people than passed me particularly near the end.  In the beginning I was trying to keep up with The Giant.  I would pass him and he would pass me.  I got ahead of him and thought I was all set but then he passed me again.  I decided he would be the guy I would follow but soon after that I passed him again. That was the last time I saw him although I kept expecting him to pass me.  In the second half of the race I got behind "Rebecca" This was a racer that totally reminded me of a colleague at work.  I stayed behind her and her friend for a couple of miles. Then I realized that I was slowing my pace to do so as they were slowing down so I passed on by and never saw them again. Then I noticed that I was once again by an older woman I had seen earlier. This woman was quite "speedy" (in my world) so I was pleased that I was still somewhat near her.  I tried to keep her close by and managed for quite awhile although she got a bit ahead of me in the last mile. She was picking people off quite regularly as she cruised to the finish line.  I tried to emulate her as best I could!

The Course
I loved the course.  Hampton Beach is a fairly tacky tourist town.  (sorry if you are from Hampton) so I was expecting some of the course to be pretty poor.  I knew what it was like along the ocean but wasn't sure what it would be like as we looped around. The neighborhoods that we ran through were great. There were beautiful houses to look at.  I do remember thinking on the fourth and fifth mile that it was going well.  I was tired and must say I was thrilled when I reached Mile 7 as I was now more than half way. It was around this time that I passed Team Hoyt. If you don't know about this amazing father/son team follow the link.  Somewhere after this we rounded a curve and we were back on the ocean. OH MY GOD!  It was so amazing and beautiful.  It was a clear sunny day and it was just so beautiful!  We were running along the ocean, some of the time on a cliff looking at the waves pounding on the rocks below. There is nothing like the Maine coast!  Some of the view was obstructed later by an ugly cement wall but you could see beyond it to the ocean.  I loved the final miles along the ocean. I was in heaven!  I didn't have that dead feeling that I have certainly had in other races. I totally felt like I could keep up my pace for the remainder of the race!

Traffic
There was good traffic control but I didn't get the feeling everyone in those cars was glad to be waiting. There were 1200 racers spread over quite a distance and some cars were waiting a long time. I so appreciated the volunteers.  The prettiest part was actually a little sketchy traffic wise. We were running along the shoulder with cars right next to us.  Passing other runners was a little tricky. Not many people could be beside each other.

Spectators
The spectators were great.  There were many enthustiastic people all along the course.  I'm sure most were there to see people they knew but they so kindly cheered for all of us!  Thank you!

The Weather/Outfit
I worried a lot about this.  But I must say my running in cold cold weather in Vermont totally prepared me.  I felt like it was rather warm.  The temperature was around 33 and windy.  I felt like we were running into the wind much more than having it with us. But most of the  time I felt just right.  I was worried I had too much on but I found myself zipping my hoodie up tighter to my neck several times.  I wore compression shorts under lightweight pants, a long sleeve tech shirt, and my favorite lulumon hoodie.  I wore lightweight gloves and a very light headband.  I would say the outfit was a WIN!

So the start was cloudy (see above)  but most of the race was incredibly sunny.

Emily on the other coast
I did find myself thinking of my daughter running on the Pacific Coast at the same time and each time I did it brought a smile to my face!  I wondered where she was on her course and how she was feeling. I wondered what she was looking at.  This was a bonus fun part to my race.

Organization/Hotel
The organization of the race overall was quite good. This is huge for me. I can't stand a disorganized race and will usually not go back.  The race hotel was okay. Parking was a huge pain. We had to park a ways away and taking all our luggage (tons) out this morning with no late check out was a pain.


Shirt/Medal/Bib
I know I know what kind of a geek comments on the bib.  But it was a cute one and totally matched my jacket.  The shirt is good because it is a woman's cut and fits!  I like the medal. Everything had The New Hampshire Marine Memorial Statue on it which was where the race ended.



Then of course there is the feeling that you can eat whatever you want after the race because you have earned it.  (Somewhat like the right to shop!)  I can't eat right after a race but give me a few hours.  What is a trip to the Maine Coast without a trip to the Maine Diner for a lobster roll!!!  

So all in all a huge win! I LOVE RACING!

35 comments:

Jocelyn said...

Great race report! I'm glad you had such a good race! CONGRATS!

MCM Mama said...

Great job! Sounds like a fun race! And YUM! I love me some lobster roll!

Alicia said...

Yum. That lobster roll looks so great!

Loved the recap. How beautiful to run along the beach! And to run along Team Hoyt! So cool. Love their story.

Great pace! Great race! Great job!

Rachel said...

Woohoo! Glad the race went so well. How cool that you and Emily ran at the same time on separate coasts! That lobster roll looks fabulous... Enjoy the rest of your Maine visit!

Jill said...

Great job on both coasts!! Thanks for the race recaps, it was great to hear how fun you had and enjoyed yourselves so much. I love the medal and the shirt, too! :)

Unknown said...

You did a great job and I loved the sunny sky. It looks like your daughter had great weather too! I love that feeling of being able to eat anything you'd like after the race, sometimes I don't make the best choices but you sure did! Have a restful, fun week!

HappyTrails said...

Wow, great job for both you and your daughter-how fun that you both share passion for the some activity. I love the view with you on the beach with the water in the background - ahhhh. Neat that you saw Team Hoyt - they are amazing. Like you, I have a hard time eating after a hard effort or race but it's mmmmm good when I am ready! Thanks for sharing and have a great week!
Kathleen

Johann said...

Congrats! Another one done and enjoyed. Great report as well. Seems like there was lots to enjoy all over. Have a great week!

Michelle said...

Glad it went so well! Congrats! Great pictures - we've always wanted to vacation in Maine, but haven't made it there yet.

Suzy said...

Love the race report...and the bib is cool!! Congrats on having such even splits. Having fun is the most important part, at least in my opinion. Why do it if you aren't having fun?

saundra said...

Congrats on your successful race. Nice race report. That lobster roll looks delish.

Amy said...

Great race! And thanks for stopping by my blog - I am really excited to see you also run "with" your daughter who also blogs - my mom got us all running because she wanted to do a half marathon for her 65th birthday two years ago and now we have all kept it up, run many more races and we all blog! How nice to meet some kindred souls.
PS: I also love Pillars of the Earth and blogged about it on my book blog a while back!

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

Fantastic recap! I hope my next half plays out just like that. And a lobster roll might just be the best way to end a long run!

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

And here is the info about the coaching certification: http://www.rrca.org/programs/coaching/

Julie said...

Awesome job on your half marathon!! Woo hoo for your awesome time!! You did really good and congrats for your age group placement!! I love it when you feel like you are passing people, it is always such a good way to boost the confidence!! Thanks for sharing all of those fantastic pictures and I loved your race report:) Cheers for getting to see the ocean!! I hope that you have a great day..take some time to relax!!

Teamarcia said...

Congrats on a great race! It's always a victory when you can run such nice even splits! mmmmmm lobster roll!

Libby said...

Sounds like a great race! I hope Emily had a great race too. Congrats

Darlene said...

Great race - so impressed with your pace for 13.1 miles - WOW!!!!!! I love Hampton Beach - I used drive up there because it was the closest to get to the ocean (which I love!!). I also loved your race report.

Katie A. said...

That is how a good run should feel! That's what we all strive for! Congrats on a great run! And I'm like you, I am not good at mile by mile recaps - sometimes the awesome scenery is just lost on me because all I can think about is one foot in front of the other to get to the finish!
Happy Monday!

Running Through Life said...

Sounds like a great race. Anytime you can pass people in the end its fun. Very cool that you ran with your daughter, so to speak.

Pining for Pinterest said...

Congratulations!!! You are amazing :-) I hope that you have a wonderful week! I loved the pictures!

Anne said...

I loved reading your race report...it sounds like you had an amazing time! Congratulations!! Beautiful pictures and a great recap overall :)

Lisa said...

Great job and you are a speedy lady. I can only hope to have splits like that for my half.

Looks like it was a cold but beautiful sunny day.

newrunner said...

Nice job, your pace is right at the pace I'm aiming for, for my half!
I love that statue, very beautiful and the ocean looks gorgeous!
I'm so jealous of the lobster roll, every time I go to Boston, I have to get one.
Thanks for sharing.

Velma said...

I want one of those rolls right now! Nice work on the race - it looks like a great day!

Tricia said...

Great job! And yum the lobster roll looks great!

Monica said...

FANTASTIC!! What a gift you were given to be able to race along the beautiful oceanside. I must say you are FAST! Great times!!

Heidi said...

Awesome race report!!! Sounds like a lovely race location.

Your split times were great. I think it's good to have pretty even splits.

RobinLK said...

Fantastic recap! Sounds like a great race day!! Awesome pace and running "with" your daughter. Perfect. :-) Congrats, friend!!

HUGS!!

Emily said...

SO PRETTY! Glad you had an awesome run! I thought of you too!

LookingUpAgain said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. You are such an inspiration! How special was it to run with your daughter in a race on opposite sides of the country. I look forward to following your progress.

PS...the puppy in the picture is my dog Bentley. I just couldn't resist taking a picture of his big ol' nose!

Tina @GottaRunNow said...

Those are consistent splits - finishing and ending at about the same pace - great job!

EB said...

Congrats! My whole family is from Maine (I'm just stuck down in the south these days), and I couldn't agree more! Your pics made me miss home! It looks likes you got a perfect February day which can be a rare find on the coast sometimes!!
Great split times too!

Jill said...

Wow Great race! I have heard about team Hoyt before and I am so inspired by them. Love all the pictures. Sounds like it was a beautitful race. My dearest friend is from Maine and she always talks about lobster rolls...yummy.

Great report!

Eliza Returns said...

Wow! AWESOME WORK!

Great pictures! What a beautiful blue sky!

Wow! THAT LOOKS DELISH! :)