Just one year and two days after I began my weight loss quest, I ran the Baltimore Half Marathon on October 15, 2005. I announced that I wanted to come in at 1:45:00 but in my head I was really hoping to break 2:00:00.
I woke at 5:00 a.m. and got ready to run, had a quick egg beater breakfast - the same breakfast I have been having for 1 year and 2 days! I drove up to Baltimore and arrived just before 7:00, in time for decent parking. I brought a banana, ClifBar, and two packs of ClifShots. I spoke with a women for a few minutes in the parking lot who came down from Conneticut for the race, she had done a few HM's but her pace was a bit slower than what I wanted to run. Yes, I was looking for someone to pass the time with, anyone, did n't much matter to me.
I watched the start of the full marathon at 8:00 and wondered around the expo for a while. Just before 9:00 I watched the first 5K racers finish. I bought a bottle of water and ate my banana and ClifBar and drank half the bottle of water. I wondered over to the HM start line, a few block away and found a port-o-potty. At 9:30 I had one of the ClifShots and the rest of the water. I positioned myself just at the end of the 8:00 pace group, in hindsight I would have gone mid pack, gotta remember this for the next time!
The race started just after 9:45 and it took about 45 seconds to actually cross the start line. The first mile went pretty easy, I was passing people slightly more than people were passing me as the field thinned out ever-so-slightly. My FR301 was a bit useless in the first mile or so as were surrounded by tall buildings but it did help me keep an eye on my pace. The FR301 puts me at a 9:51 pace but with the buildings and what they called out at the first mile post (I think it was 8:20) I don't believe it.
Our first hill, at the 2-3 mile area went pretty smooth and I settled into a nice average 8:00 mile pace for the next four miles, the trend was fairly uphill. At mile 8 I went for my second ClifShot. I had been carrying it for the whole race, just waiting for the right moment and a water stop to add some carbs to get me through the final part of the race. I torn into that puppy just before the hari pin turn around and squeezed it into my mouth, well almost. A good bit of it rushed onto my hand and down the front of my shirt. Now I look like a distance runner! I did get the water to wash it down with and had a minor problem with another runner who couldn't decide what side of the water break area to go to! Oh well, no one was hurt and it didn't slow me down too terribly much!I thought it was going to be all down hill from there but the course threw some suprising hills for the nixt couple of miles before it began it's downward trend. At about the 11.5 mile point I came up on a runner who was very loudly talking to the various organs in his body, "O.K. spleen, this is where we had troubles last time, hang in there, don't fail me now!" Neeldes to say, I wanted to put some distance between him and I.
I was able to pick up the pace at this point and began running in the mid 7:20's for a pace. Then I felt my calf kinda go. It wasn't real painful and doing some on the road math, I still thought I had a chance to get to 1:45:00. I ended up slowing slightly to about 7:50 to mile 12. I now had to beat the 1:45:00, so I picked it back up to a 7:20 pace.
Coming into Camden Yards I began my kick. The crowd seemed to respons as I went faster and faster. At least I heard the crowd and assumed it was for me. I began to pas runner after runner and go faster and faster. MY FR301 shoes the final sprint to be at a 5:02 pace! I was flying and the crowd was roaring! Nearing the finish line I was passing one last guy. He noticed me and kicked it in for the final 20 yards. He ended up having just a touch more left that I and beat me by a couple of feet, but boy was that fun! Final time results: Averall male place = 165/1369 Age group 13/154 Gun Time 1:44:47 Chip time = 1:44:02
Average overall pace = 8:00
After the race I got water, powerbar and a banana and limped back to my truck. Boy was my calf hurting at that point!
Now that I know I am capable of a decent time, it is time to set my sights for Boston 2007! Next race is the Jaycees 5K Turkey Trot in November, and then the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach on March 19th. My First attempt to BQ, because I can ...
