May 24, 2009 - detailed report - Jennifer's first half!

well, the plan was to run 5 minute km for the entire race and come in with a time of 1.45.30 and that's pretty much what i did.

although i felt sluggish, i bolted out at a fairly good clip. hitting the 1k mark at about 4.45. i realized i was slightly ahead of pace so i slowed down a little. there were only three water stops in the race (5, 10.5, and 15.8k marks) and they had no gatorade, so i decided to run while carrying a 750 ml bottle of gatorade. something that i often do to slow myself down to ensure i don't run too fast.

at the 5 k mark, i noticed my left foot going to pins and needles. haven't had that happen for a long long time. what timing! could be the extra pounding from running at a pace faster than i usually do. anyway, off went the sock and back on went the shoe, and the foot was fine by the 7k mark.

a small hill around the 9k mark slowed me down a bit and i noticed myself about 40 seconds behind schedule. not to worry, i soldiered on at a consistent pace still feeling fairly strong.
the course featured a double loop of a 5k circuit, so i had to take that nasty hill again at the 13k mark, and that slowed me down a little more and had me out of breath. but i slowed down for a bit and took a little breather at the 15.8k water station and that seemed to revitalize me.
as i hit the 16k mark, i decided to pick the pace up a notch or two, as i was feeling quite strong. by the 20th k, i had made up that minute and was exactly on schedule, crossing the 20k mark at 1.40.03.

i slowed a little during the final k but sprinted in as soon as i saw the finish line and unofficially crossed at 1.45.29, exactly 1 second ahead of schedule!

after the race, i watched as some of my other friends sauntered across. i was approached by many local runners who wanted to chat with me about my 5 marathons in 30 days experience...
after cooling down, i made the 2k run back to the starting line, drove my car rental back to the airport, and made the 4k run home!

so we're already up to 27k on the day, and it's only noon!

anyway, i feel extremely pleased with today's half. it was a very different experience running a half, knowing that i could run essentially as fast as i could and not have to save anything for a second half..

most importantly, i proved to myself that i seem to have a strong understanding of where i am in terms of my health, fitness, strength, speed, and endurance.. i estimated that 5 minutes/km was as fast as i could go in terms of being able to sustain a consistent pace. i ran an excellent race, overcame a couple of minor issues, and finished strong...

one of my friends asked me when i was going to take a rest, and i told him 'when i am dead' ....lol
anyway, not really sure if i will run another half marathon ever again, but this was certainly a fun and interesting experience..

anyway, now onto my next dilema.. when and where is the next full marathon?!?!

Jennifer