Yesterday was the 50th Anniversary Sam Costa half marathon. Years ago (maybe 2011) Costa was the first half I ran that had a tight (for me at the time) time limit - 3:00. I ran 2:57 and finished last that year. I have run Costa every year since except when I was in Dallas for RRCA and last year when I was tapering for Carmel full (still volunteered). This course is pretty tough and the weather has been everything. Hot, cold, snowing, raining, perfect. Yesterday was perfect if a tad chilly.
I wore a baselayer that I had only gotten this week and test ran on Thursday under my singlet. I also had a fuel belt since I was wearing the capris that don't have pockets. Needed a beanie and gloves, but also sunglasses.
Friday night I didn't really have a great opportunity to eat right with leading the upstairs effort at setup even though I had ordered the food. The fruit bowl wasn't in the order and that was going to be my primary carb source even though it is a faster carb than I really wanted. So I had a salad and some potato chips (Panera makes the only ones I can eat).
Saturday I didn't wake up feeling great. Four significant bathroom trips later I felt ok. David made banana muffins with ingredients I can eat and I had those for breakfast (and coffee). I did remember to take water with me for before the race, which was good.
Warmup was fine. I didn't record it this time because I didn't want it messing with me. I went down the hill, around the corner, back up the hill with a few striders. Ended the 10 minutes exactly where I started so I figured I ran it pretty evenly. I was a little anticipatory anxious right at the start, which wasn't a bad thing.
I was using auto splits and they didn't line up with the mile markers but they were just enough faster than goal that I wasn't concerned. The first mile was a bit faster than I would have liked, but with the downhill start that is normal and so I didn't let it bother me and settled in. At three miles I felt like I was where I needed to be and continued to hang out at that effort through 6. I wasn't super smooth at the nutrition thing and wished I had done the pockets instead of the fuel belt.
The approach to 7 begins the long climb up 146th Street. I have run this well before and was doing so again, reminding myself that it is why I had been training the long uphill at Eagle Creek all winter. After 7 there is a water stop and a woman sped up to get ahead of me and then stopped completely to grab a cup and I almost tripped over her. I ended up getting Gatorade instead of water and spit it out and dropped the cup immediately. I had another clumsy nutrition stop around 9. By 10 I knew it was time to start increasing effort, but I wasn't sure how much I had left. I was working pretty hard, but kept my HR around 80% (160). After 12.5 when it was time for the last climb I just had not much left to give. I made it across the street and ran as hard as I could up the steep driveway, but it wasn't fast. I did run hard into the finish from the top, but there isn't much distance there. Under 2:15 on the clock. 2:14:31 official.
The 5 minutes of jogging cool down were slow and painful. I didn't bother timing. I grabbed a water and a banana and went to get dry and warm before I even got my medal or timing sheet. They were well into the awards and introducing past winners by the time I was done and so I talked to a few people and then went in the lobby to put my legs up a wall and wait for David. Good day, good race, good friends, good time. But I felt this more than any other half marathon in a long time. I worked hard for it.
I wore a baselayer that I had only gotten this week and test ran on Thursday under my singlet. I also had a fuel belt since I was wearing the capris that don't have pockets. Needed a beanie and gloves, but also sunglasses.
Friday night I didn't really have a great opportunity to eat right with leading the upstairs effort at setup even though I had ordered the food. The fruit bowl wasn't in the order and that was going to be my primary carb source even though it is a faster carb than I really wanted. So I had a salad and some potato chips (Panera makes the only ones I can eat).
Saturday I didn't wake up feeling great. Four significant bathroom trips later I felt ok. David made banana muffins with ingredients I can eat and I had those for breakfast (and coffee). I did remember to take water with me for before the race, which was good.
Warmup was fine. I didn't record it this time because I didn't want it messing with me. I went down the hill, around the corner, back up the hill with a few striders. Ended the 10 minutes exactly where I started so I figured I ran it pretty evenly. I was a little anticipatory anxious right at the start, which wasn't a bad thing.
I was using auto splits and they didn't line up with the mile markers but they were just enough faster than goal that I wasn't concerned. The first mile was a bit faster than I would have liked, but with the downhill start that is normal and so I didn't let it bother me and settled in. At three miles I felt like I was where I needed to be and continued to hang out at that effort through 6. I wasn't super smooth at the nutrition thing and wished I had done the pockets instead of the fuel belt.
The approach to 7 begins the long climb up 146th Street. I have run this well before and was doing so again, reminding myself that it is why I had been training the long uphill at Eagle Creek all winter. After 7 there is a water stop and a woman sped up to get ahead of me and then stopped completely to grab a cup and I almost tripped over her. I ended up getting Gatorade instead of water and spit it out and dropped the cup immediately. I had another clumsy nutrition stop around 9. By 10 I knew it was time to start increasing effort, but I wasn't sure how much I had left. I was working pretty hard, but kept my HR around 80% (160). After 12.5 when it was time for the last climb I just had not much left to give. I made it across the street and ran as hard as I could up the steep driveway, but it wasn't fast. I did run hard into the finish from the top, but there isn't much distance there. Under 2:15 on the clock. 2:14:31 official.
The 5 minutes of jogging cool down were slow and painful. I didn't bother timing. I grabbed a water and a banana and went to get dry and warm before I even got my medal or timing sheet. They were well into the awards and introducing past winners by the time I was done and so I talked to a few people and then went in the lobby to put my legs up a wall and wait for David. Good day, good race, good friends, good time. But I felt this more than any other half marathon in a long time. I worked hard for it.
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