Race Report: Baltimore Half-Marathon
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Baltimore Half-Marathon Oct 18, 2003, 9:30AM Weather: 54F, 66% RH, sunny, light/no wind
Stats: 1:40:26 gun time, 1:39:51 chip time, 4/220 AG, 30/1307 OA
This race was part of a 5-event 'Baltimore Running Festival" which included a marathon, marathon
relay, half-marathon, 5K, and 1-mile kids' fun run. The half-marathon started at the halfway point
of the marathon course, and we ran our race with the marathoners. It was my first half-marathon, but
since I'd recently raced 20K, I wasn't that worried about the distance. I was a little worried about
the hills, since there are none where I live and I've been slack about hill training lately.
My plan was to go out conservatively for the first 7 miles, then pick it up from there. Miles 4 -7
contained most of the uphills and miles 10 - 13 were mostly downhill, so this seemed reasonable.
Without going into too much detail: this was a really good race. I felt strong the whole way through
(except mile 12, for some reason). The hills really weren't that bad, even for this flatlander.
There was a lot of crowd support as we ran through yuppie enclaves and crack neighborhoods. I got
around my water-stop problem by only stopping once, sometime after 8 miles. Most striking was the
experience of running in cool weather. Since I live in Florida I often have no choice but to run and
race in very hot and humid weather. Not having to deal with that nasty overheated feeling left me
with a lot more in the second half of the race. The difference was just amazing. I crossed the line
as the clock read 1:40:26, in no more pain than was appropriate.
My husband ran this race also. He ran into some ITB trouble, had to stop some, decided to bail,
decided not to, and still finished in 1:39:07.
Splits:
7:14 (.9 miles, from 13.1 --> 14)
8:43
9:46
10:53
11:41
12:00
13:45
14:00
15:34
16:29
17:02
18:39
19:52
20:21 (.2 miles)
The half-marathon has just become my favorite distance.
Hope all your races went your way.
Karen
Karen,
Great job....especially that last mile...impressive. However you hydrated only once in a 1/2M?
Methinks you know better than that....regardless of what your body is telling you and the
cooler climate.
I'm certain you would have had an even more impressive time had you hydrated earlier than at the 8
mile mark and more than once. I'm also convinced of the value of Gels and going forward am swearing
by them for anything above a
10K/6 miles.....or in other words...I will Gel every 35-40 minutes of continual running.......I've
been using in them in my training as of late and find living up to their billing (for me). Food
for thought...(pardon the pun..)
Andrew....
On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 17:47:10 -0400, joe positive wrote:
>Baltimore Half-Marathon Oct 18, 2003, 9:30AM Weather: 54F, 66% RH, sunny, light/no wind
>
>Stats: 1:40:26 gun time, 1:39:51 chip time, 4/220 AG, 30/1307 OA
>
[report snipped but appreciated]
Whew, that's great, Karen! You do get around. Actually to your benefit - the cold front came and
went here. One water stop is pretty good. The times I've tried that on events longer than 15K
haven't worked out very well but, as you mentioned, they were in Florida. I'm sorry to hear about
Mike and hope he recovers quickly. Hmm, he still did a 1:39 with all the distractions? Sheesh.
:-) Your training and natural talent have really worked out well. It's good
that you have the cognitive part going, too.
And, yes, the 1/2 is my fave, too. This week. Congratulations, Layne
-------------------------------------------------------
The rec.running report archives may be found at http://kinder.cis.unf.edu/rec.running
joe positive wrote:
> Baltimore Half-Marathon Oct 18, 2003, 9:30AM Weather: 54F, 66% RH, sunny, light/no wind
>
> Stats: 1:40:26 gun time, 1:39:51 chip time, 4/220 AG, 30/1307 OA
>
<lots of goodies snipped but appreciated>
> Most striking was the experience of running in cool weather. Since I live in Florida I often have
> no choice but to run and race in very hot and humid weather. Not having to deal with that nasty
> overheated feeling left me with a lot more in the second half of the race.
I'll bet that was a pleasant change!!
The difference was just amazing.
> I crossed the line as the clock read 1:40:26, in no more pain than was appropriate.
Congratulations on a nice race! Sounds like you had a fun time. Looks like you and your husband
ended up finishing not too far apart, although he ran into some unfortunate ITB problems. Looks like
you did a pretty good job on your splits also.
Dot
--
"Success is different things to different people" -Bernd Heinrich in Racing the Antelope
Hey Karen,
Nice race, and good splits! Hope your husband solves his ITB woes.
Scott
joe positive wrote:
> Baltimore Half-Marathon Oct 18, 2003, 9:30AM Weather: 54F, 66% RH, sunny, light/no wind Stats:
> 1:40:26 gun time, 1:39:51 chip time, 4/220 AG, 30/1307 OA ... <good report snipped> Splits:
> 7:14 (.9 miles, from 13.1 --> 14)
> 7:43
> 7:46
> 7:53
> 7:41
> 8:00
> 7:45
> 8:00
> 7:34
> 7:29
> 7:02
> 7:39
> 6:52
> 1:21 (.2 miles)
>
> The half-marathon has just become my favorite distance.
>
> Hope all your races went your way.
>
> Karen
"joe positive" <kcollins5@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
>Baltimore Half-Marathon Oct 18, 2003, 9:30AM Weather: 54F, 66% RH, sunny, light/no wind
>
>Stats: 1:40:26 gun time, 1:39:51 chip time, 4/220 AG, 30/1307 OA
>
><marvelous report snipped for brevity but greatly appreciated>
>
>Karen
>
All I can say is "awesome performance", Karen. For some reason, your weekly training week posts
often catch my eye (probably due to your "joe positive" moniker). I didn't think you'd be this fast
given what I thought I was reading. I went back and took a closer look at your training and I can
see now why you had such a great race on Saturday. I am very impressed with both your race and prior
training. I hope things continue to go well for you and I also hope your husband gets over his
injury. I can't imagine what he must be capable of when he's 100%. Thanks for the great report.
Robert
"Globaldisc" <globaldisc@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20031019182713.17326.00001430@mb-m16.aol.com...
> Great job....especially that last mile...impressive. However you hydrated
only
> once in a 1/2M? Methinks you know better than that....regardless of what
your
> body is telling you and the cooler climate.
Yup, only once, and yup, I kind of do know better. I did make sure to drink (and drink, and drink,
and drink..) during the several days leading up to the race. I realize that's no substitute, but
it helped.
A secret: I don't know how to take water during races. I can't drink while running. I can't drink
while walking. I have to stop completely, and then if I'm the least bit tired it's *very* hard for
me to get going again.
During the half Saturday, I never felt I'd die if I didn't get water. At every water stop I asked
myself whether I wanted or needed to stop, and the answer was "yes" only once. I wouldn't try this
in warmer weather, though
:-)
> I'm also convinced of the value of Gels and going forward am swearing by them for anything above
a
> 10K/6 miles.....or in other words...I will Gel every 35-40 minutes of
continual
> running.......I've been using in them in my training as of late and find
living
> up to their billing (for me). Food for thought...(pardon the pun..)
They handed out powerbar gels at this race, but again I abstained. I've never trained with gels or
GU, so I certainly didn't want to start during the race. I have a lot of trouble putting anything in
my stomach during training runs; watered-down gatorade or a swedish fish is about my limit. As I
start my marathon training next week, though, I certainly will think about giving gel a try.
Thanks for your thoughts,
Karen
"Layne Wallace" <lwallace@unf.edu> wrote in message
news:yjnyynprhasrqh.hn1h8a4.pminews@newsgroups.bellsouth.net...
> One water stop is pretty good. The times I've tried that on events longer than 15K haven't worked
> out very well but, as
you
> mentioned, they were in Florida.
Yeah, I would definitely not try that at home :-) I need to learn how to drink water on the fly (see
shameful secret revealed in thread above).
> I'm sorry to hear about Mike and hope he recovers quickly. Hmm, he still did a 1:39 with all the
> distractions?
Sheesh.
That's what I thought too. He's going to have the knee looked at/messed with as soon as we get hone.
> :-) Your training and natural talent have really worked out well. It's
good
> that you have the cognitive part going, too.
I suspect the weather had a great deal to do with this one, but thanks. This race was really good,
probably the best ever (so far).
See you guys at Paul DeBruyn next month? I'm now doing the 15K instead of the 30K.
Karen
"Dot" <dot.h@#att.net> wrote in message
news:IGLkb.7845$Ec1.712485@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Looks like you and your husband ended up finishing not too far > apart,
although he ran into some unfortunate ITB problems.
Yes, normally he'd be quite a bit ahead of me. He had a goal of about 1:34, and an in-your-dreams
goal of sub-1:30. He has another half coming up in early February, and I'm sure he'll nail that one.
> Looks like you did a pretty good job on your splits also.
Thanks. The weather had a lot to do with it, as well as a fast 15-miler I'd run with the
running-club coach the Sunday before. That could have been disastrous physically, but it wasn't, and
it gave me a real mental boost to know I'd approached this pace/distance before, and didn't die :-)
Karen
"Scott Williams" <swims@yewmich.edu> wrote in message
news:XzRkb.3847$H91.84905@news.itd.umich.edu...
> Nice race, and good splits! Hope your husband solves his ITB woes.
Thanks. Mike is headed for professional help as soon as we get home.
Karen
How do the fine citizens of B-more find time for road races? I thought dodging STD's was a full time
gig there.
"Robert Karp" <rkarp@mailbag.com> wrote in message
news:l3e8pvscsshgj36igf36mn6jnjo8jk174c@4ax.com...
> All I can say is "awesome performance", Karen. For some reason, your weekly training week posts
> often catch my eye (probably due to your "joe positive" moniker). I didn't think you'd be this
> fast given what I thought I was reading.
Ah, maybe you saw all those slow training runs. I do train fairly slowly most of the time. Since
about February, whne I started running with a club (and under the guidance of the club coach), my
training weeks generally look like:
1 long (steady rather than slow) 1 hard 1 not-quite-as-hard (hills, tempo, or mile repeats) 3
whatever, usually very slow 1 day off
This is regardless of mileage; any races fit pretty well into this plan too. It's worked really well
for me, and I hope to keep improving and having fun.
> I went back and took a closer look at your training and I can see now why you had such a great
> race on Saturday. I am very impressed with both your race and prior training.
Thank you. This is really one of the nicest observations I've heard in a long time. I appreciate
that you took time to look and analyze.
> I hope things continue to go well for you and I also hope your husband gets over his injury. I
> can't imagine what he must be capable of when he's 100%. Thanks for the great report.
Mike is trying to do all the stuff he needs to get over his injury. He has a couple of races
coming up, including another shot at a half in February. I have no doubt he will nail it. When
he's on, he rocks.
Karen
"joe positive" <kcollins5@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:<bmv0nu$r3jav$1@ID-107950.news.uni-berlin.de>...
> Stats: 1:40:26 gun time, 1:39:51 chip time, 4/220 AG, 30/1307 OA
Only one measly position from the podium! That mustīve hurt a bit?:-)
> The half-marathon started at the halfway point of the marathon course, and we ran our race with
> the marathoners.
This would seem a recipe for disaster: the road suddenly full of runners, slower half-marathoners in
the way of faster marathoners (or vice versa, to a lesser extent)!
(In the events Iīm familiar with, the HM and the M either start simultaneously - which gives the
marathoners the full amount of undivided glory and spectator attention when they most deserve and
need it - or, in the one case where the HM starts later, the two sets of runners donīt merge until
late in the race by which time the traffic isnīt so dense.)
> Without going into too much detail: this was a really good race. I felt strong the whole way
> through (except mile 12, for some reason).
A well-ran race by all account! In every race, even the really good one, thereīll almost inevitably
be one bad mile - or K:-) - for some inaccountable reason...
> The half-marathon has just become my favorite distance.
It is my favourite as well: long and fast enough to test oneīs integrity, slow enough to consist of
more than the start, the painful part and the finish (like the 10K), and short enough to recover
quite easily from (unlike the marathon).
Anders
On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 22:00:11 -0400 (EDT), High_Colonic@webtv.net (Miss Anne Thrope) wrote:
>How do the fine citizens of B-more find time for road races? I thought dodging STD's was a full
>time gig there.
You expect us to believe that ANYONE in that "armpit of the country"
"joe positive" <kcollins5@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:<bn1ig3$rk4kc$1@ID-107950.news.uni-berlin.de>...
> Yup, only once, and yup, I kind of do know better. I did make sure to drink (and drink, and drink,
> and drink..) during the several days leading up to the race. I realize that's no substitute, but
> it helped.
I wonder, whether one really suffers of any dehydration or loses any time at all during a <1:40 HM -
provided one is well-hydrated to begin with. I never stop for more than once, and in my experience
and observation the runners whom Iīd regard as adept seldom do.
> A secret: I don't know how to take water during races. I can't drink while running. I can't drink
> while walking. I have to stop completely, and then if I'm the least bit tired it's *very* hard for
> me to get going again.
I, too, have to stop to gulp the water down properly - but I can pour the cupful into my mouth while
Iīm still running:-) (Iīve promised myself to practise, practise, practise, but...)
> They handed out powerbar gels at this race, but again I abstained. I've never trained with gels or
> GU, so I certainly didn't want to start during the race. I have a lot of trouble putting anything
> in my stomach during training runs; watered-down gatorade or a swedish fish is about my limit. As
> I start my marathon training next week, though, I certainly will think about giving gel a try.
What good would that gel do when one still has a perfect source of ready energy in the form of
muscle glycogen - which is the case for our category of half-marathoners?!
But Iīll grant that youīd better get serious about this in time for your marathon: Malacoīs
godisfiskar wonīt do and upgrading to Alhgrenīs godis(automo)bilar wonīt take you to the finish
line, either:-)
Anders
globaldisc@aol.com (Globaldisc) wrote in message
news:<20031019182713.17326.00001430@mb-m16.aol.com>...
> Karen,
>
> Great job....especially that last mile...impressive. However you hydrated only once in a 1/2M?
> Methinks you know better than that....regardless of what your body is telling you and the cooler
> climate.
Au contraire. If you get to the start line well hydrated (i.e. 3 -4 litres the day before, and 0.5
to 1 litre prior to race) you shouldn't need more than one stop in a race of this duration (this was
a reasonably quick time). I haven't stopped for liquid in any of my last four winter half marathons
and my splits are consistent. In warmer weather, I would take water on board earlier than 8 miles -
5 would be optimum. I would say that the last mile split shows that hydration wasn't a problem here.
Edward
--
The reading group's reading group: http://www.bookgroup.org.uk (http://www.bookgroup.org.uk/)
"Anders Lustig" <touho3@excite.com> wrote in message
news:e621e2ab.0310202325.501d7518@posting.google.com...
> I, too, have to stop to gulp the water down properly - but I can pour the cupful into my mouth
> while Iīm still running:-) (Iīve promised myself to practise, practise, practise, but...)
I too have promised myself to practice drinking on the run, but I keep breaking that promise.
Another element to add to my marathon training, I think... :-)
> But Iīll grant that youīd better get serious about this in time for your marathon: Malacoīs
> godisfiskar wonīt do and upgrading to Alhgrenīs godis(automo)bilar wonīt take you to the finish
> line, either:-)
Ok, gotcha, it took me a little while to figure out that you're talking about real swedish candy :-)
Here in the US, the fish come in a package that says "The Original Swedish Fish" (as though there
were dozens of latecomer swedish fish conspiring to fool us), and I thought it was funny so I bought
some. They turned out to be just the thing for long runs.
I just found the Malaco fish online, so maybe I'll try some Real (as opposed to Original) fish. The
little Ahlgren cars seem a bit rich for running food, though ;-)
Karen
"Anders Lustig" <touho3@excite.com> wrote in message
news:e621e2ab.0310202306.67f36fe9@posting.google.com...
> > Stats: 1:40:26 gun time, 1:39:51 chip time, 4/220 AG, 30/1307 OA
>
> Only one measly position from the podium! That mustīve hurt a bit?:-)
I didn't have any idea until after the results were posted. And then, yes, I was a little ticked off
:-) The 3rd-place woman in my age group was about 90s in front of me.
> > The half-marathon started at the halfway point of the marathon course,
and
> > we ran our race with the marathoners.
>
> This would seem a recipe for disaster: the road suddenly full of runners, slower half-marathoners
> in the way of faster marathoners (or vice versa, to a lesser extent)!
Although we started 90 minutes after the marathon start (and after the elites had passed), and we
were segregated from marathoners for the first mile, this setup did cause problems for some
marathoners who ended up having to dodge a lot of slower runners and walkers.
Another annoyance was the way the half-marathon start area was situated (in the middle of a
multilane city avenue). There were marathoners running by on both sides, and once we entered the
very small start area, there was really nowhere else to go. My "warmup" consisted of trotting around
for maybe 0.2 miles trying not to hit anyone.
> (In the events Iīm familiar with, the HM and the M either start simultaneously - which gives the
> marathoners the full amount of undivided glory and spectator attention when they most deserve and
> need it - or, in the one case where the HM starts later, the two sets of runners donīt merge until
> late in the race by which time the traffic isnīt so dense.)
That's good to know that a HM/M event can be handled sensibly. For what it's worth, this was the
first year that Baltimore has added a half. There have already been some complaints about the way
the half and the full races were merged, and the race directors will probably make some changes
next year.
Thanks for your comments,
Karen
On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 17:12:53 -0400, joe positive wrote:
>> One water stop is pretty good. The times I've tried that on events longer than 15K haven't worked
>> out very well but, as
>you
>> mentioned, they were in Florida.
>
>Yeah, I would definitely not try that at home :-) I need to learn how to drink water on the fly
>(see shameful secret revealed in thread above).
>
:-) Yeah, you speedsters have all that motion and inertia going. We cruisers
can leisurely select the cup we want from the person we want and have it shaken, not stirred.
>See you guys at Paul DeBruyn next month? I'm now doing the 15K instead of the 30K.
>
It looks like we'll be pretty booked in November (I also have either a mondo collection of October
event reports or a URL to them - OK, it'll be a URL). The 15K sounds tasty. I really like events
from 15K to half marathon and have finally gotten to the point where I can do a half marathon with
little or no advance notice. Roger 2k did a pick-up half a couple of years ago and that really
piqued my interest. Of course, I do them in Layne-time where you run them in ludicrous speed (<-
Space Balls reference). Good luck at the DeBruyn!
Layne
-------------------------------------------------------
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