Sub 2:00 Half Marathon thread (Read 2396 times)


Latent Runner

    The Traveler Beer New England Half Marathon

     

    My wife and I have run a number of races this year put on by one of our local running clubs, and this year they inaugurated their first Half Marathon; given neither of us had ever run a half before, we decided this was a perfect race to join the Half Marathon community.

     

    The Start:

    New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH.  We opted to park near the finish line at the State House in Concord and ride one of the many busses up to the track.  The morning was in the high 50s and quite humid, and speaking strictly for myself, I was dreading the warming temperatures, which were forecast to be in the low 80s by finish time.

     

    We walked and jogged around a bit, stood in line twice to rid ourselves of a little excess hydration, and then lined up in the 10:00 to 12:00 zone as we really didn't have a good grasp on how fast (or slow) we'd be able to run the distance.  The gun went off at about 8:30, and the crowd exited the track grounds and headed south on 106 for a nice gentle downhill 1.5 mile stretch before climbing back up a bit and leveling off for the next mile.

     

    Shaker Road:

    At the 2.5 mile mark the course turns off 106 (a 4-lane highway with side shoulders) and on to Shaker Road (about 4 miles of which is hard packed dirt) which was closed to all but local traffic for the duration of the race.  The Shaker Road segment is about 7.7 miles long with rolling hills, a couple of climbs (the ninth mile, fully exposed to the sun no less, is the one most folks had a difficult time with), and is delightfully tree lined with the foliage so dense it forms a full protective canopy over the road.

     

    The Finish:

    The final 2.1 miles was a bit challenging what with the heat and humidity coupled with the loss of the tree canopy, and then with the added factor of climbing up over three bridges (the Merrimack River,  I-93, and US 202).  Once you make the final turn onto Main Street, it is time to throw caution to the wind and race final six-tenths of a mile to finish right in front of New Hampshire's picturesque State House.

     

    Millennium Running:

    You would never know this was the first Half Marathon these folks ever put on; it was as well organized and executed as any event I've ever participated in.  Then there was the free beer (just one), live band, and party afterwards...

     

    Our finishing numbers:

     

    Mrs. Shipo:

    5K:   0:26:43 - 8:36

    10K: 0:52:33 - 8:29

    10M: 1:23:30 - 8:21

    Gun: 1:50:27

    Net:  1:49:54 - 8:23

    Place: 7th out of 108 (Women's 50-59)

     

    Me:

    5K:   0:24:32 - 7:54

    10K: 0:48:49 - 7:53

    10M: 1:18:13 - 7:50

    Gun: 1:42:46

    Net:  1:42:13 - 7:49

    Place: 13th out of 80 (Men's 50-59)

    Fat old man PRs:

    • 1-mile (point to point, gravity assist): 5:50
    • 2-mile: 13:49
    • 5K (gravity assist last mile): 21:31
    • 5-Mile: 37:24
    • 10K (first 10K of my Half Marathon): 48:16
    • 10-Mile (first 10 miles of my Half Marathon): 1:17:40
    • Half Marathon: 1:42:13
    robin from maine


      Great times, and nice even splits. Congratulations!

       

      The Traveler Beer New England Half Marathon

       

      My wife and I have run a number of races this year put on by one of our local running clubs, and this year they inaugurated their first Half Marathon; given neither of us had ever run a half before, we decided this was a perfect race to join the Half Marathon community.

       

      The Start:

      New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH.  We opted to park near the finish line at the State House in Concord and ride one of the many busses up to the track.  The morning was in the high 50s and quite humid, and speaking strictly for myself, I was dreading the warming temperatures, which were forecast to be in the low 80s by finish time.

       

      We walked and jogged around a bit, stood in line twice to rid ourselves of a little excess hydration, and then lined up in the 10:00 to 12:00 zone as we really didn't have a good grasp on how fast (or slow) we'd be able to run the distance.  The gun went off at about 8:30, and the crowd exited the track grounds and headed south on 106 for a nice gentle downhill 1.5 mile stretch before climbing back up a bit and leveling off for the next mile.

       

      Shaker Road:

      At the 2.5 mile mark the course turns off 106 (a 4-lane highway with side shoulders) and on to Shaker Road (about 4 miles of which is hard packed dirt) which was closed to all but local traffic for the duration of the race.  The Shaker Road segment is about 7.7 miles long with rolling hills, a couple of climbs (the ninth mile, fully exposed to the sun no less, is the one most folks had a difficult time with), and is delightfully tree lined with the foliage so dense it forms a full protective canopy over the road.

       

      The Finish:

      The final 2.1 miles was a bit challenging what with the heat and humidity coupled with the loss of the tree canopy, and then with the added factor of climbing up over three bridges (the Merrimack River,  I-93, and US 202).  Once you make the final turn onto Main Street, it is time to throw caution to the wind and race final six-tenths of a mile to finish right in front of New Hampshire's picturesque State House.

       

      Millennium Running:

      You would never know this was the first Half Marathon these folks ever put on; it was as well organized and executed as any event I've ever participated in.  Then there was the free beer (just one), live band, and party afterwards...

       

      Our finishing numbers:

       

      Mrs. Shipo:

      5K:   0:26:43 - 8:36

      10K: 0:52:33 - 8:29

      10M: 1:23:30 - 8:21

      Gun: 1:50:27

      Net:  1:49:54 - 8:23

      Place: 7th out of 108 (Women's 50-59)

       

      Me:

      5K:   0:24:32 - 7:54

      10K: 0:48:49 - 7:53

      10M: 1:18:13 - 7:50

      Gun: 1:42:46

      Net:  1:42:13 - 7:49

      Place: 13th out of 80 (Men's 50-59)

        Nice way to break in the marathon distance.  Great times shipo and the Wife!!

          5k  = 19.48 10/1/13

        10k  = 45.28 4/16/13

        Half Marathon = 1:38.53  Summer Sizzle 7/13/14

        Operation Jack Marathon 12/26/12  4:39.11

        Solo O Marathon 06/02/13  3:52:10

        Operation Jack Marathon 12/26/13 3:40.34

        Zaphod


        President of the Galaxy

          Area 13.1 Half Marathon - made the sub-2:00 goal.

          This was a night-time race on November 8, mostly on road and paved trail, but about a mile off-road through the woods on a narrow, twisty trail.

           

          Weather was just about perfect - 60F at start time and down to about 50F when I finished. 780 runners finishing (there was a 5k that started 10 min after the HM with an additional 350 runners).

           

          We started at sundown and it was almost completely dark by the time we got to mile four, but there were plenty of people with headlamps (not me, though) as well as street lights and some generator powered lights, so visibility was generally not a problem. Volunteers were fantastic and cheered everyone on with much enthusiasm, however there were almost no spectators other than family and friends at the start/finish line.

           

          Due to schedule and amount of running I can tolerate without injury, I can't run very many miles in training - high 20s to low 30s per week  is about it. Because of the low mileage, I tried to do a lot of my runs at close to goal pace with my tempo and speed work being a good bit faster than goal pace.

           

          Mile 1 - 8:57. On the road, feeling good and getting past the people who started too close to the front.

          Mile 2 - 9:45. Into the woods on that narrow twisty trail, finishing this portion with the first turnaround. Went really easy just trying not to twist an ankle or fall.

          Mile 3 - 8:55 Back onto the road, settling into a group of about 10 people. Talking a bit, breathing under control, still feel good.

          Mile 4-5 - 18:34 (missed a mile marker - 9:17 pace). Off the road onto a paved trail where it was darker, so slowed a bit to be cautious, so mile 5 was slower than mile 4.

          Mile 6 - 8:56 Back onto the road, still feeling good.

          Mile 7 - 9:27 This was the only uphill part of a pretty level course, and included the the second turnaround, which was very sharp. I walked through the aid station at the turnaround and drank two cups of gatorade.(orange, yuck)

          Mile 8-9 - 17:58 (missed a mile marker - 8:59 pace) Home stretch now. Starting to get a bit tired, but still feeling pretty strong. Somewhere in here I developed a blister on the end of my left second toe. That toe is longer than the big toe and is always a problem on long runs. It hurt, but didn't affect my stride that I could tell.

          Mile 10-11 - 17:36 (missed a mile marker - 8:48 pace) At about where I thought the 10 mile mark was, I started to pick it up for the last 5k. There was the third turnaround in here somewhere, also a very sharp 180 and I tripped over a bulge in the asphalt and fell. No injury though - but I did lose a bit of time getting up and starting to run again. This is where I start fishing - pick the next person in front of me and reel 'em in.

          Mile 12 - 7:17 With 2 miles to go I start pushing. Anybody can run 2 miles hard, right? Off the road and back on the dark paved trial. I felt kind of kamikaze going this fast in the dark.

          Mile 13.1 - 9:41 (8:49 pace) Somewhere in here, my right glute started cramping hard. I don't know if it was dehydration from not drinking enough water (only one fluid intake back at mile 7 turnaround) or if my stride had been changing from the blister on my toe, but either way there was no way I could hold an 8 or sub-8 pace, so I limped in as best I could.

           

          Finished in 1:57:05. Overall, generally happy with my pacing even though it looked inconsistent. I think the inconsistency was entirely from the trail portion and the dark, because I never felt like I couldn't hold the pace until the muscle cramp at the end - I slowed out of caution for the conditions. Now that I think of it, 7:17 was probably way too fast and should have been more like 8:00 - maybe that would have prevented the cramp and I could have finished out at that pace..

           

          From the fall until the end, nobody passed me, but I was passing everyone I could see. At least until I slowed with the cramp, but even then I was keeping pace with everyone else and managed to not get passed.

           

          Equipment - half tights and a t-shirt, Brooks Ghost 7 shoes, Swiftwick socks, Timex Ironman watch

           

          I pronounce my second HM a success.