This was my 4th time running the Surf City Half. It’s one of my favorite races, probably because it was my first half marathon. It’s also fairly close to home. But parking and shuttle buses can be a hassle, so hubby and I stayed overnight at a starting line hotel, so I didn’t have to worry about getting up super early or dealing with the parking hassle. (avoiding the 30 minute porta-potty lines was another bonus).
I ate my usual pre-race breakfast of a small bagel with cream cheese and small banana. Easy to digest and plenty of energy! And of course coffee. I headed down to the corrals about 25 minutes before my wave was supposed to start. I hoped to meet Mr. & Mrs. Docket but they were still on a shuttle bus.
My previous half-marathon PR was 2:22:44, set 3 ½ months ago on a course with a similar elevation profile. I’ve been training pretty hard since then, so my A goal for this race was 2:19:XX. B goal was 2:20 to 2:22:43, and C goal anything above that. I was SO nervous for days before the race – butterflies in my stomach whenever I thought about it! I’ve never wanted a time as badly as I did for this race.
My plan was to run:walk in a 7:1 ratio, maintaining a 10:35 pace. I used a sharpie pen to write the times for each mile on the inside of my arm. It didn’t look really attractive, but I figured it would save me some math in my head.
When my corral started, I settled in right behind the 2:20 pacers. At mile 1 we were exactly where I wanted to be, but we hadn’t taken any walk breaks, so I was running a slightly easier pace than I had planned but it felt ok without a break. I chatted with the pacers for a minute and they assured me they planned to stay with very even splits and get in under 2:20, so I decided maybe I’d just stick with them. Mile 2 went fine and then Mile 3 – what the heck???? We were 20 seconds over pace according to my sharpie pen! I mentally wished the 2:20 group goodbye and surged ahead to make up my 20 seconds (I never saw them again in the race). But, Mile 4 is the only hill of substance on this course, so despite my increased effort I was still about 20 seconds behind my planned pace at the end of that mile.
After the Mile 4 hill, I soon hit the sharpie pace. I soon exceeded it. I felt good. I didn’t walk except for about 15 seconds in each of the water stops.
At I approached the turn-around at Mile 8, I had a brief panic moment: “This is where it gets hard.” Mile 8 to 9 is always where I’ve fallen apart in my half marathons. But I told myself, “You don’t have to think about the next 5 miles. You just have to think about this mile. Think about the finish line. Think about hubby waiting there. Think about bragging rights on RA. Think about hamburgers.” And I did! The panic passed and I continued to increase the margin of my actual pace vs. goal pace. At Mile 10 I almost started crying when I realized how far ahead I was. At Mile 11 I got goose bumps. At Mile 12 I started sprinting. It seemed like I was passing EVERYONE! One gal zipped by me and I thought, “Oh no you don’t” and I ran harder.
I finished in 2:16:27. Here are the Garmin splits:
1 mi 10:33
2 mi 10:31
3 mi 10:52
4 mi 10:47
5 mi 10:12
6 mi 10:15
7 mi 10:11
8 mi 10:23
9 mi 10:23
10 mi 10:08
11 mi 10:34
12 mi 10:20
13 mi 9:47
14 mi 9:02
I learned some things today:
So basically it was a perfect day. I regret that I never met up with the Dockets – we had also missed each other at the expo because they had travel delays.
I’ll be back for advice very shortly on the LA Marathon coming up in 6 short weeks.
Former Bad Ass
Great job! Sorry we didn't get to meet. And caffeine and sugar? That is why I have my donuts and Dew before my marathons!!
Damaris
Haha, I never should have doubted your fueling strategy! Hey, I did take your advice a while back on salted caramel GU - it's my favorite. PB/Chocolate was also delicious today. The other 2 were new ones that I tried today, and they weren't that great. One was GU Chocolate Outrage. It was like squeezing fudge into my mouth which just didn't appeal on a run. The other was Clif Shot Mocha - blech - tasted like coffee grounds in my mouth.
on my way to badass
Still waiting for the perfect race picture. 5K PR-33:52 , 10K PR 1:11:16, First HM 2:42:28
Hip Redux
Congrats!!
Think about bragging rights on RA.
A little peer pressure never hurts, eh?
And your fastest mile was the last one? Oh yeah, you have a faster half in you.
Dang. Way to go! Nice splits too, just perfect. Can't wait to hear about the full in 6 weeks. This has got to be a big confidence booster. Happy for you
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Traci
You rock! Loved reading your rr. I can hear how pleased you are with yourself. Fantastic accomplishment and you should be very proud.
Kathleen
2015 Goals:
Sub 30 5K
Sub 60 10K
Sounds like this is a prelude to a great running year! What I love about your race today is that you let things develop during the race based on how you felt. You had a plan, you had enough information, so when the pace group wasn't giving you what you needed, you weren't afraid to do what you needed to do. Same with the walk breaks- you were ready to take them if needed, but you didn't need them. How awesome is that? And way to bring it home in the last 5K!Glad you've found a gel strategy that works. I wonder if you'll have the stomach to keep taking them at that rate for the marathon, or if you'll want to increase the interval a bit? I also love salted caramel, which I alternate with the (non-caffeinated) lime sublime.
Youth Has No Age. ~ Picasso / 1st road race: Charleston Distance Run 15 Miler - 1974 / profile
Healed Hammy
Gratz on crushing your A goal. You took our advise and pushed through the temptation to slow down and walk. Did you ever feel like it was starting to hurt, or in the last 5k you really wanted the race to end? Remember even pacing is typically the best race strategy and you now have a pretty good indicator of what you can do in your upcoming marathon. FWIW, 3 gels are not needed in a half-marathon. One or none is physically needed but if it helps you mentally then go with it. In a marathon too many gels might start to mess with your belly, just saying.
Thanks for the RR.
You did excellent! Congratulations on a most impressive PR!
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Great job!
uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI
Nice work, Brilliant. I like your list of things you learned. My favorite part of your race was the kick you had at the end. Great stuff, that. Good luck in LA.
Penguin Power!
Awesome job Brilliant! :-) I see good things in your future.
Also I'm so happy you are on my 2015in2015 team and totally killing the mileage =D
Upcoming Races: Run as One 4M (4/24) * Japan Run 4M (5/8) * Brooklyn Half (5/21)
It looks like you found that mental toughness and then some. Congrats on a awesome race and big PR!
Life is good.