Sarasota Half Marathon Race Recap

Time change was a killer, but besides that I thought I did everything in preparation for this run right.  Got up at the "new" 5:15am (but my body still thought it was 4:15am!).  Got prepped, had a small meal, hydrated and then was in the car at 5:40.

I did get to the lot before 6am, but I swear it took me 15 minutes to park!  They made us meander through a variety of lots, passing many empty ones, until we were right up to the action.  Personally, I don't think this made sense.  Because we were all going to the front, the lines were unnecessarily long. I don't think people would mind parking an entire 4-minute walk away....if they had several different lots they were parking at the same time, it would have been much quicker, alleviated traffic congestion and eased tension among the runners.

Got out of the car and immediately began searching for porta-potties.  Requisite line...then I wandered over near the desolate area behind Van Wezel, near the water.  It was calm.  Full moon was out and you could easily find your own solitude to stretch, warm up, or just chill.  There was a cool breeze in the air...definitely calming.  I didn't find anyone  that I recognized (or even any shirts that I recognized).  Thought there would be a BH or HF photo meet-up in the area, but honestly given the time change, it was DARK!  So, I wander over to the porta potties again and eventually make my way to the corrals.

I search out for the 2:15 pace group.  We were all talking among ourselves, but the pacer didn't utter a single word.  This felt a bit odd...after all, she was supposed to bring a group to the finish line.  Wouldn't it be a good thing to introduce yourself and make some small talk?  I suppose our pacer in the RNR St Pete was so totally the opposite that her quiet demeanor threw me.

Regardless, the anthem soon played and the race started.  I felt good at this point.  We made our way onto US-41 south to the Ringling Bridge.  The bridge was ok, definitely required work...but ok.  Once over the top, we headed to St. Armand's Circle.  I decided to start fueling around here.  Then, we headed back over the bridge.  Past mile marker 4, I just didn't feel the urge to push it.  I let the 2:15 pace group continue ahead of me.  I suppose right at the 5-mile marker, I decided that since the heat was increasing, I was going to just run this for no PR.  I contemplated this for a bit until I got to the half way point, and in my mind, I firmed it up right then and there.  I was not going for PR...I was just going to run this as a recreational runner and be ok with it.

It was well over 70 now, and there were no clouds on the way up US-41 towards Ringling.  I just chilled...just doing a lot of people-watching.  What struck me strongly was this apparent mother-daughter team.  The daughter was leaning on her mother.  The mother was also checking her pulse occasionally.  It was so obviously unusual that I saw two runners offer gu or water to this girl.  And, in retrospect, everyone was sweating but this daughter looked non-sweaty.  I ran close to them for a good mile or so.  When we turned into the Ringling Museum, I saw a medic tent.  The duo were still right ahead of me.  I stopped to tell the medical tent to call ahead and the next station and to watch for the girl and to pull her aside.  Their response?  They didn't give us phones.  Really?  This was seriously disappointing!  How can a medical tent on a half marathon course NOT have communication?  They did tell me that I could talk to these "other" people nearby and they could make a call.  Seriously, while I'm not going for a PR, I am still in a race...and don't have the time to stand in line and talk to someone that the medical tent personnel should be seriously concerned about!  Apparently, my reaction was obvious as they then said that they would take care of it.

Ok...maybe it wasn't truly a good deed, but it should count.  We then make our way in the back neighborhoods.  Be warned..anyone who runs in Florida and is not from Florida....do not touch the sprinklers in people's yards.  I know it SOUNDS like a good idea.  It is not.  I did manage to stop one person from setting foot in them.  Sprinklers in Florida are typically full of either 1) well water which has a "bad egg" smell due to the sulphur content or 2) reclaimed water which is obviously not healthy for your skin, but great for plants and yards.  It was funny though...as this person then told her friend that she was surprised with such nice houses why they wouldn't be able to afford regular water.  Well, for the non-Floridians reading this....reclaimed water is much much much cheaper and is better for your yard.  It is instant fertilizer.  And, with the amount of yard water we go through with this year-round heat, even wealthy families are better off with reclaimed water.  Now, if you cannot get reclaimed water (we are fortunate enough to have it, but not everyone is without some serious cash to pay for the water line extension to their yard), well water is pretty common for yards.

So, 2nd good deed done.  See...if I was too concerned with my pace, I wouldn't have been able to help anyone!  Now, I just needed to finish this race.  5k to go.  Lululemon was offering oranges...they were fabulous.  I ran into another HF and we chatted briefly before starting off again.

After the finish chute, I collected my medal and stood in a tremendously long line for food.  Now, given that standing still is one of the worse things you can do after a long run, this is not good.  I felt a spasm in my lower leg while waiting in line, but fortunately, I moved my foot just enough immediately just to avoid a proper "cramp" ....felt something similar in the car.  Considering that I felt pretty good, I was surprised by this!  Food options were bananas, bagels with peanut butter, orange slices, muffins, yogurt parfaits.  Water was available at another station.

Finish time was 2:29:27.  I loved the fact that the race bibs had a QR, so when scanned from my phone  a tad later, I was able to get immediate results for me:

Average pace: 11:24/mile
Overall: 1416/2108
Overall Sex: 775/1301
Overall Division: 138/224

I actually thought I would do worse (in overall division)...but I suppose the heat affected everyone else in a similar manner.  So, I'm happy with my crappy performance :)

Finishing time....2:29:27.  Did I mention it was hot?  Galloway's book on running estimates that my performance would be 5-7% slower in this heat (as compared to the temps in the RNR St Pete). 2:29:27 roughly equates to 2.491 hours.  2.491 / 1.06 (average of 5% and 7%) = 2.35 hours.  So, my adjusted time for temperature would probably have been 2:21.  Just imagine if I truly had the inclination to finish strong.

So, overall, I suppose I'm pleased with my experience.  Better than any long run before, I felt great in comparison!   The big question...would I do it again?  I think so.  The spectators were great.  The course was beautiful.  I would have preferred cooler weather and a race on any day other than the first of a time change....kind of hard to adjust for that though.  As for the things they can change, the parking in the morning needs to be better thought through.  The line for food was disappointing.  There wasn't good water/drink options once you finish the race either...I only saw one table with water cups.  I would have had to drink 6 of these to satisfy my thirst.

Offical results are here.

Sarasota Half Marathon Expo

The expo was disappointing.  Granted, I had very little time to browse anyway (had to go straight from the RRCA class to the expo...class ended at 5pm, expo closed at 7pm), so I suppose it was a good thing.

Problem is...the expo took over the lobby, atrium and another small conference room...and there really wasn't much there.  The space was simply too small!  It felt cramped, and nobody had any interest in staying longer than they really needed to.

I did manage to pick up 3 Sweatybands look-alikes....called Chicabands.  Definitely look to be just as good quality for a lot less.  3 for $30!  Why is it I have a hard time leaving an expo with nothing in my bag?  The bag really should be enough!

Sarasota Half Marathon...Plans are being made

Even though I absolutely know that I felt physically sick for the Gasparilla run, I also didn't take it too seriously since I had no serious urge to run the 15k. Truth be told, I wanted to run the half marathon after I saw the bling (the 15k bling, by comparison, was seriously a let down). I do wonder how/if that changed my mindset leading up to the actual event. What would I have done differently to ensure that I was adequately rested and adequately hydrated? Regardless, that experience will NOT repeat itself. Sarasota is allowing me a chance to redeem myself in the face of....me!

Seriously....just take a look at this bling!  The largest in the state this year! Its gorgeous.  Over 4 inches long!  This road race company knows what they are doing.  The race is actually managed by the same team that handles the Publix Georgia Marathon, the ING Miami Marathon, the Chicago Half Marathon and the 13.1 Race Series. They have a ton of experience to their name...and being that its Sarasota, well lets just say this city doesn't do anything just because.  They may not draw the biggest crowds, but they put the emphasis on bringing upscale visitors to this area to entice them to visit once again....so it should be managed nicely.  So, I suppose my redemption is in good hands?

Now, for the race...its somewhat familiar.  We start close to the Ringling Bridge, which has some serious elevation.  I've done the Ringling Bridge Run in January to get my feet wet with it, but its still something to be considered.  It follows the bridge and wraps around St. Armand's Circle and then back over the bridge.  So, the serious elevation is all in the first few miles.  It then follows Tamiami Trail north and then heads back down hugging the gulf.  There is continuous elevation gains up Tamiami....I think I've felt them in the car, so you know they will be more severe running.  But then again, its pretty much all just a few feet above sea level...so what goes up will go down.  So, the course is familiar somewhat.  At least, I've been on these streets, so feeling them under my shoes will be a new experience and seeing the street up close and personal will be new, but at least its familiar.

Water stations appear sufficient.  There will also be a sports drink at every single water station (as well as a porta-potty), which is nice.  Not sure whether that will be powerade or gatorade, but fortunately, my stomach isn't sensitive to either.

Race starts at 7am.  The weather has been unpredictable lately.  Right now, Sunday is expected to be a low of 63 and high of 83....and partly cloudy.  I'm anticipating a 66 degree start, and hopefully finish before it hits 75.  Its not optimum and I do hope that we get an unexpected cold spell in a few days...but its probably not going to happen.  At least I'll consider this a good dry-run for the Iron Girl (for the weather impact, at least).

I will conquer this one.  I'm ready for it.  I have plans to sleep in Thursday night, Friday night and get to bed early on Saturday.  My RRCA class is actually the two days prior, so I will be all pumped and prime for running!  At least, I hope so! :)

Canes Classic 5k Race Recap

My first race was this morning....what a great experience running with so many other people! And, I now have a personal record to speak of. Granted, there is nothing to compare it against...but at least I have something!

The Canes Classic 5K started at 8am this morning. I got up right before 6am, as I thought it would be best to finish eating at least two hours prior to the race. So, 6am, I had my shakeology shake with some PB2 and bananas. We roused the kids and had them finish breakfast and get dressed, and we were out the door prior to 7am. We arrived at the site and parked, picked up my registration info/shirt/pamphlets and were ready to go! Since we had the kids with us, we hung out at the playground. I walked a bit and ran a bit before hand, so I was loose.

I already knew that my time wouldn't be stellar...this is, after all, a morning race. I ALWAYS run slower in the morning....how does one change that? But, thats ok.

I ran up in the middle of the pack, and it was a shotgun start. Everyone ran out and I had a nice pace for the first mile. The second mile was a tad slower, but I was happy to get the chance to pour some water over my chest/shoulders at the 1.5 mile mark, and then again at the 2 mile mark. Now, from that point on, it was tough. We were running in the bright sun, and it was hot! I had to walk a bit at the 2 mile mark, and then again at the 2.5 mile mark....so a full 1.2 minutes of walking the course. The last 1/3 mile was under cover (like most of the first half) so I finished that part without pause, but I know it wasn't very strong.

Looking back, I know the morning affected me the most...energy was just lacking, regardless of what I tried to do. The heat didn't play as much of a part of the energy issue as I would have presumed, simply because I know I have run in this heat before! I even had some sport beans right before the race, but that obviously didn't help.

My cadence was especially slow...81spm average (max of 85spm). I typically run 83-85spm, so definitely slower than average. I wonder why though....sure, I had to run around people, but did that really account for such a slower pace...or was it because of this and the morning run?

I didnt' have nearly as many nerve issues as I presumed that I would. So, I definitely think the morning hour made it for me. End result? Unofficial 33:45 time.

Ok, for a first race, I'm pleased I suppose, even though I know I can do better than this. What should I do next time? If its a morning race, which most are, I suppose I just need to run more in the morning to acclimate properly. Nothing else I can do, right? Since I think that was my #1 issue, I simply have to become a morning-acclimated runner.

Next race is a 4-miler through a country club....2 weeks until that. I'll try to do at least 2 runs a week in the morning from now until then and see if that plays into my energy level. Will update beforehand with my predictions!