Monday, February 21, 2011

Half at the Hamptons Race Report

 If you read my post yesterday you know the cold had me worried!  It was as cold as it has been all winter and the wind off the ocean was particularly brutal!  I knew I could do it but I didn't know how much I wanted to do it.  Overall I am thrilled with how this race went.  The biggest piece was how good my heel felt!  YES!  Now I can begin to think about a fall marathon if things continue to go well!  I said I wasn't going to race it but we all know how well that can work.  Even though it was not a PR or even close I absolutely did race it.  I had said I wanted to have 10 minutes a mile or better and I wasn't at all sure I could do this.  Any long runs I have done since I started running again have been very slow - high 11s or 12s.  Miles 2, 3, and 4 were close to 10 minutes so I didn't think I would be able to hold that pace.  So yeah, I began to race!

I'm going to pattern this after last year's race report.



We're off!  I had a big smile on my face as well as being a little 
choked up!



I was pleased with my splits.  I certainly finished well.  I swear the last few miles are slightly downhill as they felt so great.


I did one of the big race no nos at Mile 8 where I had a Gu I have never tried before but I felt like I was flagging and needed a boost.

My mile splits were:  (My Garmin ended up showing 13.26.)

9:24 (knew I couldn't maintain this)
9:54
9:56
9:59 (began to get worried)
9:27
9:17
9:23
9:30
9:56
9:41
9:46
9:35
9:31

8:39  Garmin overall pace 9:38

Race stats
10/32 age group
2:07:32 time
696/1163
9:45 pace




Following/passing other people


I seemed to be passing a lot of people (for me) throughout the race.  I also did well on the hills, not getting passed much and even doing a little passing.  I had one woman tell me early on that I was pacing her well.  We ran together for awhile and then I went ahead and never saw her again. On the other hand there was a man I was following that I passed and later he zipped by me and I never saw him again. But overall I felt like I did much more passing than being past.  I felt really strong the last few miles and knew I was going to meet my goal. I was thrilled!

Love this section - gorgeous!








The Course/Traffic

It was the same course as last year. I had forgotten how much of it was in the neighborhoods and not along the ocean.  This was good though as it was more sheltered from the wind.  It was a bit hilly but nothing terrible.  Two women near me were complaining about the hilly course but I figured it was like the temperature.  It is all relative depending on what you are used to. 

So much of it is  on the ocean and it was another gorgeous day. The sky was a brilliant blue and it was very clear.  I took my camera and took some pictures (like Julie and Johann- I kept running as I was taking the pics.  Do you two stop and focus or just keep running?)  as we were headed back along the ocean.  It was a little cold and tricky getting the camera in and out of my pocket but I don't like running with something in my hand.  But once again - what a gorgeous day!  Love love love the ocean.

 The race started an hour earlier this year. Traffic was much less and I suspect this was why it started earlier. This was great as I wasn't afraid I was going to get hit by a car!
Getting near the end!  


I feel great as I pick it up for the finish.





Spectators

There weren't a lot of spectators but the ones out there were great. Any cheers were so appreciated.  My friend, H, came with me again.  She managed to see me and take pictures at the beginning and end.  I had missed the mile 12 sign so I wasn't quite sure how close I was to the end.  It was great to hear her and have an idea so I  could start to really POUR IT ON!  Thanks, H, for taking those pics and cheering!


The Weather/Outfit

I've already talked about the weather. I know Chris K likes to know what everyone wears plus I found it very helpful to read about what I wore last year when I was trying to decide this year's outfit.  So this year my outfit was basically the same - so hard to believe as it was Arctic Circle weather.  I wore a long sleeve top with my Lulu hoodie.  I only wore the hood as I was waiting for the race to start.  I wore my  tights which were thin but perfect.  I think the only change was a turtle fur.  My headband and gloves were thin.  It worked!


Organization/Hotel

The race was well organized. As I said I liked the earlier start. Staying in the hotel was great esp. this year. I didn't want to go out into the cold until I had to.  A clean bathroom to use until the race start too!  I did not like watching the flag being whipped around by the wind as I contemplated what the race would be like weather wise.

Shirt/Medal

I liked last year's medal better but at the same time I like that it wasn't the same.  The shirt is a woman's fit again - a big plus but it wasn't a tech shirt - not so great.




Just like last year I ended the day at my favorite diner with a lobster roll and homemade chocolate cake!  Yum!

42 comments:

A Prelude To... said...

What a gorgeous day - all that blue sky and blue ocean. That beautiful sun! WOW!

Jen said...

Great race report. The pics make it look like it is hot... but then the snow... well, reminds me that it wasn't. Great job and yay the heel felt good!

Michael said...

Congrats on a GREAT race!! Awesome job! It does look beautiful and glad that at least it was sunny since it was so cold. I always think the sun helps make it feel warmer or maybe it just makes me happier.

Karen said...

What a beautiful day! Loved the pics. Great race! Sudddenly, I am craving a lobster roll and chocolate cake :)

Georgia Snail said...

GREAT RR! awesome pacing as well, not a stitch in the 10's! Congrats!

Jill said...

Wow girl, that is Fantastic!!!! I am behind in blogworld (again) and revamping my blog so don't have a blog roll anymore (and so only a select few are going to get comments this week, lucky you. Haha) so I didn't see yesterday's post so was really excited to read your RR today! I am so happy for you that you were able to hang on to sub-10's and more importantly you heel BEHAVED!!!! I am super jealous - of course - but I couldn't be smiling any bigger for you right now. Well done!!

btw, it can't be THAT cold, the ocean isn't frozen yet. ;)

Oh, and I LOVE the shell medal and that shirt is cool, I like them very plain and simple.!

Congrats!

Darlene said...

Loved reading your report - esp the pics. Yoiu did fantastic!!!!!!!! Yoiu're my hero! Guess what I found - http://www.pbase.com/fateague/image/132312766

Emily said...

Heather took awesome photos! Congrats again on a great race mom!

Chris K said...

I only like to hear what everyone wears in case I need that artcic stuff when it drops down into the 40's here.

Congrats!!!!! You rocked it. I am so impressed. Your finishing stats were awesome.

Yes to the Full!

Paul said...

Nice pics!

Congrats on the 10/32 AG finish! Upper part of the pack now!

Ewa said...

You have certainly earned your lobster roll. What a cool race you had. I guess, can't keep that competitive streak inside you, can you?
That deep blue sky in your pics makes me think 'major cold'.
So when is your Full? :-)

Anonymous said...

Looks cold but beautiful! *high five* on a well earned lobster roll. Love your picture waving into the camera! :) GREAT news on your feet!!!

Giorgio said...

Glad your half went well! Congrats for the time taken of 2:07:32, considering the winter cold and the brutal wind.
Beautiful race report!

Average Woman Runner said...

Gorgeous scenery! Glad you had some sun & survived the cold.

LookingUpAgain said...

Loved the report.I'm glad the race went well for you. The scenery was gorgeous!

Teamarcia said...

Holy wow you had a pretty day! Congrats on a great race girl!

Running and living said...

It's nice to read your report and see the pics. Such a beautiful course and I did not see anything:) You ran a great race, below 10 min/miles, in that weather. I read somewhere that winds like we had (34MPW) slow you down by as much as 10sec/mile. Good to know that you can go much faster next time! Also glad to know that the course was long, and it wasn't my Garmin. I tried my best to run the tangents, but guess that did not help! Congrats on a great race!

HappyTrails said...

Such BEAUTIFUL pics - good job! I ESPECIALLY like the one with you waving at the camera - very nice! Looked like an awesome weather day...as well as AJH race day - she's B-A-C-K!!! :-)

Kate Geisen said...

Great job! It looks so beautiful there. I'm glad it went well. Way to go on your pace! I think you did a great job with the pictures you took. I take pretty good pictures on my bike, and I won't typically stop while running to take them...but then I just end up with some crazy Blair Witch pictures!

justme said...

awesome job

Marlene said...

10 minute miles weren't even in sight - you smoked it! Sounds like a pretty great race overall and I love the photos. CONGRATULATIONS and WELCOME BACK!

RunningWhit said...

Congrats on an awesome race. I loved your race recap and I'm impressed with your picture skills while moving.

MCM Mama said...

Great job! Woohoo for no pain! I'm hoping to rock my half in a few weeks, despite really slow paces on my runs lately. You give me hope!

Richelle said...

Awesome race! What a beautiful course, too! Your pictures are amazing. :)

Char said...

It's so funny to see people running along the beach front wearing extreme cold weather gear. Beaches, to me, mean long hot days and seeing the other side is eye-opening.

Fran said...

Congrats Andrea! You did it in a fantastic time! A time I can only dream of.

And it's so beautiful where you ran, only the surroundings must have made this half fun.

Liz said...

Wow, that is stunning scenery (although it does look really cold!). Fantastic running, well done! In answer to your question, I live near Edinburgh, by the Firth of Forth which is an estuary off the North Sea. That's what my photos show.

Anonymous said...

That race looks lovely and I never bring a camera, I always wonder how everyone gets these awesome race pics! Congrats again on the race, that is so awesome!

Teamarcia said...

BHAG = Big Hairy Audacious Goal!

Molly said...

it looked like a gorgeous day! Nice job passing people! And I love how you celebrated, makes me think of summer. Congrats on a great race!!!

Jenn said...

Oh yes! You can NEVER have too many half-zips!

Congrats on such a great race in freezing windy weather! So happy the heel cooperated for you! Great race report!!!

I actually didn't know you and Ana Maria were running the same race! Small world. I love her!

Lobster Roll and Chocolate Cake-SO jealous:)

Emz said...

Chocolate cake - I'm getting me some of that today!

So. freaking. awesome.

Amazing race.

Consistent too! AWESOME.

Tina @GottaRunNow said...

What a great race you had! What a view!

Tricia said...

great recap.congrats!

TP said...

Woohoo!!! Congratulations on such a great race! I don't know how you got such good pics while running and taking pictures - they should give medals for that too :-)

Lindsay said...

i love that medal! so cool and different. your pics turned out great! i think julie and johann just keep snapping, but don't stop running. i'm sure by now they've chimed in with their expertise. my run-pics are always blurry/shaky... congrats again on a great race!

Lee said...

Way to Go!!!!!
photos are all so nice, especially the banner photo, you look mah-ve-lous!!

Suzy said...

Congrats! The photos are great. You just ran how I want to at my next half. Any tips? Gah...

Kandi said...

Sounds like a fantastic race! Great time and great views. So glad you survived the cold!

middleagedrunner said...

Hey- great job! I was there too- and shoot, was it ever cold. And windy! A great race though and such a beautiful location. Congrats to you!

Amanda@runninghood said...

Hi you! First off, brrrr, looks so cold. But GORGEOUS. Great job and congrats! I love having a beautiful blue sky to go with cold weather. I get to run a marathon by the ocean this June but the opposite side of the country! :) Should be beautiful too. :)

Julie said...

Yay! You ran a half marathon in the Hamptons! I love the pictures...you did a great job taking pictures:) I run and take pictures at the same time. Sometimes I get a few blurry ones and other times I get lucky.

I am glad that you are up and racing! All of that hard work paid off...congrats:)