PF Chang's Race Report (Read 581 times)

I completed my 2nd half marathon this morning. I was very pleased with the race, and shaved nearly 18 minutes off my last time. I finished in 1:59:48....My goal was 2 hours, so I had 12 seconds to spare...lol. On Friday night, my buddy agreed to drop me at the start and pick me up at the finish, which meant I could sleep later and skip the shuttle. I got up about 5:30 and got to his house around 6:30. He dropped me off at the start around 7:30, so I was able to see the full marathon start. I ate a little bit of a bagel and drank some Accelerade (nasty stuff...I can't seem to get used to it, and I've drunk it at 2 races and in several training runs). I did a little bit of stretching and warm-up jogging, then got in my corral (#6) about 5 minutes before the start. The race actually went off on time this year, and I crossed the start about 9 minutes after the gun. I ran pretty hard from the start (for me). I haven't dealt with water stops since last year, and I had a bit of difficulty in the first one (dropped 2 cups before I was able to get my hands on one). After that all went well until about mile 9. I hit a little wall at that point, then had some difficulty between miles 9 and 11. I felt pretty good after that, and pushed it a bit at the end to get in under 2:00. I love this race. The support on the course is great, and the volunteers are awesome. The bands are really entertaining, and everyone seems to be having a good time. For those who care, my splits according to my Garmin: Mile 1: 9:33 (missed the mile marker by nearly .1 mile) Mile 2: 7:57 (obviously found that one on time) Mile 3: 9:08 Mile 4: 9:09 Mile 5: 8:59 Mile 6: 9:09 Mile 7: 8:54 Mile 8: 9:02 (felt awesome at this point) Mile 9: 9:25 (starting to lose it) Mile 10: 9:10 Mile 11: 10:06 (hills...Wheels coming off) Mile 12: 9:32 Mile 13.1: 9:42 Interestingly enough...For the 2nd year in a row, Garmin measured the race at 13.21 miles...I guess I do exactly that much weaving every year.

Great race, Matt! Congratulations on the 18+ minute PR and finishing under 2:00:00!! Great job!

Great Run! Did you know how close you were when you were in the final stretch and really push it or was it just a big coincidence?

I knew it was really, really close and I pretty much gave it all I had. I was looking at my Garmin so frequently (it seemed like every 5 seconds), that I'm sure I actually slowed myself down. Thanks for the kind words folks.

Great Job! I was there too, my mom and a friend were running and I went to support them. Once I got into the expo I was wishing I was running, the excitement of everyone was contagious! But I didn't want to pay $115 for late registration for the half. This was my moms 6th half and my friends first. Although I didn't officially run, I got in about 7 miles anyway. I ran the back roads to mile 1 to watch the marathon elites pass, then ran back to the half start to find my friend and mom. Right before the half started I ran back to mile 1 to watch them pass then back to the car where my dad and I drove to mile 9. Then I just ran back and forth between 9 and 10 until my friend passed. I really wish I ran, I think I'll do the full next year. I spent about an hour at the marathon finish just watching people finish, I love doing that. Seeing everyones joy and sometimes pain, determination and pride. As I read on a shirt "My heros wear bibs." Results: friend 1:49:49, mom 2:47:36 And how awesome of you, azredbirds on shaving 18 mins off your time!!

Told you would break 2 hrs eh? Outstanding Matt. It was a great day for running! Tommy

Congrats on the PR!! Way to go with the race

I crashed out BADLY around mile 11.5 or so....I had to walk a quarter mile and ended up sprinting at the end to the 13 mile mark, then realized I still had a 10th of a mile left...I've never hit the wall before in the last couple years of running and it was very frustrating when all was said and done....I wanted to break 2:00 but ended up at 2:04:49... I got lightheaded and started wobbling...Very ugly situation but I was determined to run across that finish line after having run almost 12 miles of the race...

That does sound ugly....And I know what you mean about sprinting to that stupid camera at 13.0, and then having to gear up again for another 0.1...What the hell was the deal with that camera placement?

I normally post on the master's forum and found this thread while looking for mcsolar's race report. What first caught my attention was the pre-race thread where you and dmiller mentioned being in corral #6. That was also my corral. We must have been pretty close the whole race. I ran for about 10 miles just behind or with the 2 hour pace group. While in a zombie state, I somehow realized at about mile 10 they weren't in front of me anymore. I finished in 1:58:58 and was excited about breaking 2 hours. I'm sorry to hear that dmiller hit the wall about 11.5 but still ran a fine race. Congratulations on your sub 2 half. (My report is in the master's section.) TomS