October 12, 2009

A Great Run



1:33:24
 
 
 
MY PLACE OVERALL:  72nd out of 1500 plus runners.
AGE CATEGORY Male   30-39 :18/133 
Gun Time                 1:35:15 
Chip time                1:33:24 
AVERAGE KM SPLIT    4:26 

The whole experience was incredible, emotional, nerve-wracking and all worth while.  I felt fantastic on the actual run.  Knowing when to step it up and when to hold back, as I had been nervous about, was the challenge yesterday morning.  The temperature was below freezing, so I had to think about keeping from getting uncomfortable from the cold.  I wore some tights I was wearing under my jogging pants, as i have yet to invest in thermal tights.  I saw some fancy pants there, that's for sure!
It seems trivial, but I see that I would have placed even higher if I had seeded correctly.  I have never competed like this before, so this counts for me in some fashion. I like to understand where i am at amongst all my peers here!  So my goals were met, I set a new PR for the 1/2 marathon and was able to place in the top 5% of the race.  Check!  And  most of all I enjoyed every moment of the day.  As I mentioned in my last blog, I am so THANKFUL that I went  to the hospital to treat my asthma.  This was a big part of my enjoying the whole run.
I had more energy, felt alive during the run and stayed focused.
My hope was for a negative split  and to match my PR of 1:38.  My first split was at 4:19, 4:27, then my Ipod died from cold exposure which was frustrating.  One thing about next time is not to panic last minute with technical gear, just focus on warming up.  Also, it took me 2 whole minutes to get to the start line!  I will seed myself further forward next time too.




Me, pre-race fresh.


 
Me, post race exhilarated.