My very first half marathon was from the Rock n Roll series in St. Pete, FL so I decide to give Savannah, GA a try. A girls' weekend with my Suncoast Strider running peeps.
With a new marathon PR under my belt, I wanted to run a half marathon under 2:00 hours. I wasn't sure if Savannah would be the place I'd try or if I wanted to enjoy my run. Because let's face it, if I'm trying to PR or beat a time, I'm not enjoying the pace I have to keep. I picked up a free pace bracelet from the expo incase I decided to go for under 2 hours...at an average 9:09 pace for 13.1 miles. Yikes!
photo by David |
Pre-race team pic, photo by David |
My corral started shortly after 7:00am. After warming up, I tossed my jacket about a quarter mile into the course. Patty and I were going strong, keeping a nice pace. I wasn't used to running with Patty and knew she ran faster than me so that pushed me a little because I didn't want to hold her back. At about mile 3 when I started to feel the effects of my exertion, I told Patty that she didn't have to stay with me if she wanted to take off, but she stayed.
I ate a vanilla GU with caffeine WHILE I RAN. I finally mastered that task while running. Yeah me!! If only I could drink water without spilling or pouring it up my nose, while running. That caffeine GU gave me a boost! I felt great for the next couple of miles.
I loved the course so far with even streets and cheering spectators along the way. Handmade signs always make me smile. This race my favorite was "You've got stamina, call me". The water stations were well managed and the GU station was clearly visible. At about mile 7, Patty needed to slow down but she told me to keep going. I felt great so I continued on the course.
I needed some energy around mile 10 so I tried the salted watermelon GU. Not my favorite, nor will I try it again. According to my free pace bracelet, I was more than a minute behind pace. At this point, I stopped looking at my Garmin and pace bracelet and just ran the 5K I had left. I knew I wouldn't be under 2:00 but thought I could still PR.
The last part of the course (it felt like a mile but was probably a quarter mile) was a continuous incline to the finish line. I had a little bit of a sprint in me as I crossed the finish line with a new PR of 2:02:26!
photo by David |
photo by David |
photo by David |
Mike in blue surrounded by his supporters |
5K: 28:55
10K: 57:36
10 miles: 1:32:53
Division: 187/1195
Gender: 1308/7327
Overall: 2709/10603
Avg pace: 9:20
Chip time: 2:02:26
My next half marathon is in 3 weeks at Space Coast. Will I get under 2:00???
Congrats Chrissy!! You can kicking some serious butt!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great day! Congrats
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