Adam was a bit worried about getting to the race on time. The start time was 8:35am for the half and we had to get our car from the valet and get my packet before lining up at the start. So we got up at 6am. I was pretty tired but getting ready for the race went smoothly. We had no problem getting our car and found the race area without any issues. The race start/finish was only 7 miles from the hotel in N. Charleston near the Naval Yard. We were there early enough that there were no lines for packet pickup. After grabbing my packet we went back to the car and sat for about 45 minutes.
The shirts for the race were really nice long sleeve, dry fit shirts with the race logo on the front. They also gave us a reusable draw string bag. Nice touch. There were no freebies in the bag, just race fliers.
After doing about a 15 minute warm up through the parking lot, we headed to the race start line with about 10 minutes to spare. Unfortunately, the race start was 20 minutes later than the posted start time.
My two options for running the race went right out of my head and I decided on a secret 3rd option for the race after it started. The first mile of the race was very congested. I was having to bob and weave a bit more than I like to during a race. But I found some space and my stride and decided to run the first 10 miles as fast as I could. I missed quite a few mile markers during the first ten miles; mile 2, 6,7 and 10. But a fellow racer let me know when were at mile 10.25 and I was able to deduce from that that I'd finished the first 10 miles at a 9 and change pace. Not bad. Unfortunately, from mile 2 on I was starving. I don't mean a tad uncomfortable, I could go for a snack hungry, I mean full-on stomach growling send down a Denny's Grand Slam hungry! I'd only brought one Gu, but more wouldn't have cut it anyway. So the last 3 miles were at a 10 minute, 11 minute and 12 minute pace. I finished in 2:04.
The Pros: The race course was flat, as promised. The weather was great, it was about 45* when we woke up. Really great entertainment along the course. I saw more bands and cheer sections than at the LV RnR half last month! There was a rock band, a little girls' cheering group along the course, another group of children who were singing while using sign language, a small rock band consisting of little boys all around the age of 10 (if that), a boy on the piano and an African drum circle. You passed all of these twice with the exception of the drum circle. The entertainment was great since you really didn't get a lot of scenery along the course. The water stops were well organized. At the end of the race they served warm shrimp & grits and the best bagels I've ever had!
The Cons: The race started late. The mile markers may not have been measured correctly and the markers were small and easy to miss. The race medals at the end were pretty cheap looking. The course contains a couple of out and back sections which can be a con if you're having a bad day or a pro if you want to see faster/slower friends along the route.
This race, I didn't see anything particularly weird. I did see a guy wearing the Vibram 5 fingers. This was a little surprising given it's a barefoot technology and we were running a half marathon. I tried to catch up to him to see how his feet felt, but we were into mile 11 and I just didn't have the energy.
I spent a lot of time in my head this race. Here's a list of some of the things I thought about in random order:
- Pat Tillman (the NFL player turned Army Ranger who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in April '04)
- 2005 Army 10-miler
- Adam Mayes
- Tacking
- Pippit Long
- Tim Long's blog
- My knee hurts
- Hmm, my foot doesn't hurt
- This ground is cushy, is that rubber?
- My outfit is boring
- She didn't go all the way to the turn around point!
- He's hot
- The national flag printed on running shorts is tacky
- I hope I'm done soon
- What mile is this?
- This is the longest effing mile
- I'm starving
- Man, there is nothing in N. Charleston
3 comments:
Great job! I didn't know about this race, so sorry I missed it. If you ever need any info about running in Vibram Fivefingers, I've been running in them pretty much exclusively over the past year, including Thunder Road marathon.
DART has a few folks running in the Jan. 30th Winter Flight 8k in Salisbury. It's a perennial favorite.
Keep on running...
We got a great deal on priceline too; room was listed for 94 and we got it for 60; wonder if I could have gotten it for 50??? (Holiday Inn, Mt. Pleasant, right next to the bridge)
Good run and write-up Audra.
- Stan
Chad - I tried on a pair of Vibram's at Half Moon Outfitters while we were in Charleston. I'm seriously considering them. Do you know who has the best price?
Stan - Great job to you, too! I wonder, too, if I could have gone lower. lol!
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