2011 Livestrong Austin Half Marathon Race Report
The idea was to wake up at 4:30, leave by 5:30 and arrive at the race around 6 for a 7 AM start. Things didn't work that way. When I got up at 4:30, Emmaline woke up and I spent until 5:30 getting her settled again. So I raced through getting ready and was out the door by 5:50.
I arrived and sat in a small traffic jam, parked and walked to the race site. As I was parking, I realized I needed to go to the bathroom. Badly. I saw a bank of port a potties, but there weren't many and there was a LONG line. Thinking there would be many many more closer to the start (I mean, this was a race with 20,000 people) I headed for the start. Boy was I wrong. There were not many more than those I saw before, but there were gobs more people.
So I waited. And waited. I probably waited about 40 minutes in the line before it was my turn. By the time I completed my business in the port a potty it was 7:10. The race had started 10 minutes earlier. It wasn't a big deal, really, though so I joined the throngs of people headed for the start and began my race.
I actually ended up in a pretty good spot. Not too many people were passing me and I wasn't being passed by that many people. In fact, we were all moving along at about the same clip so I figured I had seeded myself pretty well, entirely by accident.
The first couple of miles ticked by fairly quickly (mile 1: 10:38, mile 2: 10:31), then we began a long, long gradual uphill for several miles. It didn't really bother me too much because I have a pretty long gradual uphill I always end up running on my long runs, but it did slow me down somewhat (mile 3: 11:07, mile 4: 11:41, mile 5: 11:23). Then we turned and began heading back downhill again (mile 6: 11:03, mile 7: 10:12, mile 8: 10:21, mile 9: 11:10). I saw Roger and Emmaline a little after mile 7 (along with coaches Jamie and Andrea) and I saw Roger and Em again around mile 10.
I was feeling pretty good, despite the heat, humidity and ever-changing wind. I also wasn't coughing too much and my nose wasn't given me any trouble. I had been worried given that I spent the last two weeks being sick, first with the flu, then a sinus infection.
Then, around mile 10, things got really rough, both the course and for me physically (mile 10: 11:42). I don't know if it was the course or just that the wheels started coming off for me or maybe it was a lot of different factors, but I was just ready to be done. Then at mile 11, things started getting really bad (mile 11: 12:24). I was in a bad mental place because I was tired and hurting and just feeling like I wanted to be done and suddenly there was a huge hill. A really huge bad hill. Unfortunately, there were a couple more huge bad hills including a seriously evil one at mile 12 but I just tried to keep going with the thought that the faster I could go, the sooner the pain would all be over (mile 12: 11:55). The last mile, I tried and tried but there was yet another hill and I was really hurting (mile 13 + .1: 12:39).
I finished the race and my calves just suddenly seized up. I was cramping really badly. I could barely move. Thankfully there was a huge crowd of people slowly making their way through the finishing chute so I didn't have to go too quickly. I grabbed anything I could with salt. Chips, gatorade, bagel, banana. I realized I hadn't had enough salt during the race. Eventually my legs stopped cramping somewhat and I got my finisher's medal, shirt and more food.
My official time was 2:26:48. Out of the four half marathons I have run, it's my second fastest time. My fastest is 2:15:05 (3M January 2007) and my slowest was my very first (2:49:30 at Disneyland in Sept 2006). The other one was part of Longhorn Half Ironman in Oct 2007 and was 2:33:40.
I know I have a faster half marathon in me. I'm a faster runner now than I was in January of 2007 when I set my PR. However, at that race I was healthy, well-trained, the course is easier and it was a cold day.
But really, given everything (the sick, the weather, the course, the somewhat sketchy training) I did well and I wasn't unhappy until the last couple of miles. I can't ask for much more than that.
I arrived and sat in a small traffic jam, parked and walked to the race site. As I was parking, I realized I needed to go to the bathroom. Badly. I saw a bank of port a potties, but there weren't many and there was a LONG line. Thinking there would be many many more closer to the start (I mean, this was a race with 20,000 people) I headed for the start. Boy was I wrong. There were not many more than those I saw before, but there were gobs more people.
So I waited. And waited. I probably waited about 40 minutes in the line before it was my turn. By the time I completed my business in the port a potty it was 7:10. The race had started 10 minutes earlier. It wasn't a big deal, really, though so I joined the throngs of people headed for the start and began my race.
I actually ended up in a pretty good spot. Not too many people were passing me and I wasn't being passed by that many people. In fact, we were all moving along at about the same clip so I figured I had seeded myself pretty well, entirely by accident.
The first couple of miles ticked by fairly quickly (mile 1: 10:38, mile 2: 10:31), then we began a long, long gradual uphill for several miles. It didn't really bother me too much because I have a pretty long gradual uphill I always end up running on my long runs, but it did slow me down somewhat (mile 3: 11:07, mile 4: 11:41, mile 5: 11:23). Then we turned and began heading back downhill again (mile 6: 11:03, mile 7: 10:12, mile 8: 10:21, mile 9: 11:10). I saw Roger and Emmaline a little after mile 7 (along with coaches Jamie and Andrea) and I saw Roger and Em again around mile 10.
I was feeling pretty good, despite the heat, humidity and ever-changing wind. I also wasn't coughing too much and my nose wasn't given me any trouble. I had been worried given that I spent the last two weeks being sick, first with the flu, then a sinus infection.
Then, around mile 10, things got really rough, both the course and for me physically (mile 10: 11:42). I don't know if it was the course or just that the wheels started coming off for me or maybe it was a lot of different factors, but I was just ready to be done. Then at mile 11, things started getting really bad (mile 11: 12:24). I was in a bad mental place because I was tired and hurting and just feeling like I wanted to be done and suddenly there was a huge hill. A really huge bad hill. Unfortunately, there were a couple more huge bad hills including a seriously evil one at mile 12 but I just tried to keep going with the thought that the faster I could go, the sooner the pain would all be over (mile 12: 11:55). The last mile, I tried and tried but there was yet another hill and I was really hurting (mile 13 + .1: 12:39).
I finished the race and my calves just suddenly seized up. I was cramping really badly. I could barely move. Thankfully there was a huge crowd of people slowly making their way through the finishing chute so I didn't have to go too quickly. I grabbed anything I could with salt. Chips, gatorade, bagel, banana. I realized I hadn't had enough salt during the race. Eventually my legs stopped cramping somewhat and I got my finisher's medal, shirt and more food.
My official time was 2:26:48. Out of the four half marathons I have run, it's my second fastest time. My fastest is 2:15:05 (3M January 2007) and my slowest was my very first (2:49:30 at Disneyland in Sept 2006). The other one was part of Longhorn Half Ironman in Oct 2007 and was 2:33:40.
I know I have a faster half marathon in me. I'm a faster runner now than I was in January of 2007 when I set my PR. However, at that race I was healthy, well-trained, the course is easier and it was a cold day.
But really, given everything (the sick, the weather, the course, the somewhat sketchy training) I did well and I wasn't unhappy until the last couple of miles. I can't ask for much more than that.
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