This was my first time running the Austin half, and good grief was it challenging! 48 degrees at the start, 50 degrees when we finished, and lots of 'rolling' hills. The 3M was a breeze compared to the Livestrong course.
I woke up at 4:30am and ate my usual pre-race meal : toast w/ peanut butter and a cup of coffee. I deliberated all night and most of the morning on my race attire, 48 degrees (felt like 44) is in-between weather and makes it difficult to figure out what to wear without overheating. Finally I decided on shorts and long sleeves and finished packing my backpack. Moni & Jenn picked me up around 5am, followed by Mills and then we were on our way downtown.
On a side note, I came down with pink eye the night before the race. Of all the things to happen before a big race, blurred vision and crusty eyes was not expected. Thankfully I managed to get some meds Sat night so that my eye wasn't too bad during the race, just the occasional slight stinging sensation from the wind.
Ready to get our race on! |
Mile 1 - 9:00, Mile 2 - 8:47, Mile 3 - 8:59, Mile 4 - 9:40, Mile 5 - 9:18, Mile 6 - 9:11, Mile 7 - 8:36, Mile 8 - 9:09, Mile 9 - 9:44
Running - not sure what mile |
Check out those hills! |
The last 4 miles were the toughest part of the race. My pace dropped drastically due to the horrible hills. Mile 11 started with a long gradual climb for about 1/4 of a mile followed by some rolling terrain and then mile 12 had the worst mountain climb ever! I had been dreading that HILL the entire race; it rises 80 feet in less than a quarter mile, that's 8 stories in a short span! I knew that hill was coming and when I saw it I just told myself to keep my head down and focus - no walking! For shits and giggles I looked at my pace while jogging up that hill, 15 min/miles!! That's hilarious!...kinda, but not really. I made it up without walking, felt like puking and continued onto the last stretch. There were a couple more slight hills that last mile before finally crossing the finish line. According to my Garmin I ran 13.2 miles in 2:06:56, 9:36 avg pace. My official chip time for 13.1 was 2:06:54, 9:41 pace. I beat both of my goals; to not walk up that hill and to finish in under 2 hrs and 10 mins.
Mile 10 - 10:32, Mile 11 - 10:47, Mile 12 - 10:53, Mile 13 - 10:34, last 0.2 - 1:47 (8:43 pace)
bib number: | 18110 |
age: | 33 |
gender: | F |
location: | Pflugerville, TX |
overall place: | 4173 out of 10359 |
division place: | 361 out of 1135 |
gender place: | 1675 out of 5867 |
time: | 2:06:54 |
pace: | 9:41 |
gun: | 2:13:37 |
5k: | 28:10 |
5m: | 46:15 |
10m: | 1:33:40 |
12m: | 1:55:28 |
Crossing the finish line |
My right IT band was shooting pain up and down my leg when I finished, I could tell at mile 8 it was going to be a problem, and once I stopped running it locked up on me. Funny enough my hip felt just fine. I hobbled through the finishers area to meet up with the rest of my girls and head home. Overall I am satisfied with my time, and next time I'll have a new goal to beat!
Austin Half Finisher! 2/19/2012 |
Surprisingly I'm not nearly as sore after this half marathon as I was after the 3M. I guess downhill really is harder on the body. Oh! And no blister this time, the new socks really helped. :) My IT band/knee was fine by the next day.
Livestrong Austin Half Marathon 2/19/2012 |
Race prep:
What I ate: Spaghetti w/ meat sauce the night before, lots and lots of water! Breakfast consisted of a piece of toast with peanut butter, 1 cup of coffee, water. During the race I ate a gu (cliff shot) at the starting line, mile 5 & 10. I also hit as many water stops as possible even though I carried a water bottle on my belt.
What I wore: Shorts, long sleeved shirt, Garmin watch, hat, ear warmer band, Brooks Gylcerine shoes (new - broke them in 2 weeks before the race), my new running socks, and running belt.
Other items I carried: 3 cliff shots, water bottle, ipod, kleenex