First race I've done in 3 year! Didn't train for it- I haven't even done a long run in about 4-5 months and haven't run over 10 miles in 3 years. Really wasn't sure what to expect going in.
A friend was running her first race since having her child, and she was aiming for a sub 2-hour race. I started the race at the back of the pack with her, and ran the first mile or so with her- it was at a 9:36 min mile. I decided before the race I wouldn't "race" the entire distance. After 1 mile, I picked it up to my Fall marathon pace goal- 7:12 min mile. My heartrate was at about 155 for this pace and felt very comfortable. Starting near the back of the pack was challenging- had to dodge around alot of runners for most of the race. My gun time was almost 5 minutes slower than my chip time.
For the race, they had "pace bunnies" which are runners with a hat on which has bunny ears attached. Written on the ears is the race time they are pacing for. After I passed a race bunny, Elmer Fudd's voice jumped into my head and said "Its wabbit hunting season!!!" It then became my goal to chase down as many of these frickin wabbits as I could! At 5km I was at 23:30 mins.
The miles passed by, and the temperature and the course were great. Very scenic and about 7-8 degrees celcuis. Had on a long sleeve shirt and shorts and was a comfortable temperature- almost could of had a short sleeve shirt on. I hit the 10 km mark 47:11 which was ok considering I lost a min. or 2 from the beginning mile- my marathon goal pace was consistent for the rest of the distance.
After 11km, it was time to pick it up- my pace increased to around a 4:15-4:20 min km. or 6:48-6:56 min mile. Still felt very strong. Hit 10 miles at 1:11:50. When I hit the 16 km mark, I decided it to push it for the last 5.1 km. This was the only part of the race where I really felt like I was working it. Total time for the 5.1 km 21:36 and I don't think I stopped my watch right on the finish line.
I thought it was a positive race- pacing for my marathon goal was spot on an felt comfortable. If a couple of minutes were taken off for the slow start on the first mile, time would be down to 1:31. I definitely think I have it in me now for a sub 1:30 half marathon. Next thing to work on is incorporating a long run into my training. Really happy to be back at racing! Felt a little emotional at the 11km point and at the end thinking about it!
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