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Monday, February 18, 2013

13.1 Things about A1A


I definitely have a long, windbag race report in me about this race, but I decided to forgo boring you.  Because I like you.  Remember that.

So, in loo of said lengthy race report, I figure I'll just summarize some of the race's highlights:

1.  It was cold.  45 degrees at the start.  For FL, there are not enough hyperbolized comparisons to describe that kind of cold.

2.  Thankfully, my race morning timing was near-perfect and I only had to stand in the corral and suffer that cold for about 10 minutes.

3.  Once running, I definitely prefer 45 degrees to 85 degrees.

4.  It wasn't the cold that was running's enemy in this race; it was the wind.  For the portion on A1A itself, there were some powerful headwinds.

5.  I was thankful I wasn't running the marathon; those runners had a much longer section straight into that wind.

6.  Each time I run an HM and I'm thankful for the turn-off from the marathon, I know that I'm not yet ready to return to marathons.  It's been 6 years, and each time I get to turn off where the two courses split, I feel nothing but relieved.

7.  Note to self: If I ever do return to marathons, I must choose races where a half isn't an option.  I believe it would eff with my brain seeing that option.

8.  In a turn-around course, like this one, a headwind eventually becomes a tailwind.  Lovely.

9.  I wore my long sleeves the entire race.

10.  And I was thankful I had decided, at the last minute, to wear tights.

11.  I was probably too conservative with my pace, especially in the first half of the race, because when I finished, I felt like I could go another few miles.

12.  Oh well, I don't mind being conservative if it means I can run a steady, consistent race, which I did.

13.  I never consumed anything on the course: Not a drop of water nor a Shot Blok.  Nada.  I think I barely sweated through the entirety of the race and I honestly wasn't thirsty until I finished.

.1.  I finished in 2:13:29.  Not even close to a PR, but as I said above, a solid race where I ran an average 10:08 min/mile pace.  I'm happy with that.

That's a mega medal, isn't it?  Yeah, I have thoughts on that behemoth as well.  Think I'll explore those thoughts tomorrow.

5 comments:

Amanda said...

I have been reading your blog for some time now but had to comment because we got the same exact time for our half yesterday! I also did not come close to a PR but am ok with the time. I live all the way in Arizona but heres to being virtual pace twinsies!

Kathee said...

Congrats! I hate wind, but 45 degrees is perfect! I guess running in freezing temps makes 45 seem better. I wonder if doing a full marathon where the half joins about 2 hours in would be motivating, maybe!

Erin said...

45 degrees beats 85 any day. It is a little chilly for us FL peeps but a nice change. I was actually excited to give it a whirl this morning.

I would think the HM is the perfect distance for not having to change your life too drastically to fit the marathon training schedule yet feel a huge sense of accomplishment.

Good job on the run! Sounds like you enjoyed it regardless of your time.

Kevin said...

Other then the wind, the weather was pretty much perfect. Congrats on a solid performance.

I agree about the half marathoners turning off. Once we marathoners broke off there were so few people, plus very little direction in terms of what side to run on and certain turns

Gina said...

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