In several aspects, this year’s race gave me the impression that the organizers were trying to cut cost and manpower.
Before the race, there was not much content in the email updates leading up to race day. Race packet pick up instructions were sent to us only a couple of days before the expo.
On race day itself, there were visibly less volunteers. Gear check was two large tents where runners simply dropped off our bags in lots designated according to our race numbers, self-service style. This year, they did away the Champion chip system and used the D-Tag disposable RFID tag system. So, gone were the volunteers who would help runners detach their chip from their shoes at the finish area. For some reasons, they also left it to the runners the tear off our own Mylar heat blankets from the rolls of supplies left at the finish area.
These were details. The important thing is that the running experience was not compromised. Drink stations were well-stocked, all of them serving both Gatorade and water. There was plenty of food served after the race, courtesy of sponsor Publix Supermarkets. I found that I have become a post-race glutton, eating a lot after races. Today, I had numerous cookies, bagels, pretzels, and not to mention a mini-muffin, yogurt and the customary banana.
Food and fluid were necessary, as I ran hard today. Weather was similar to last year’s, with the temperature within a couple of degrees centigrade on either sides of 10.
With the race still fresh on my mind, I want to write this down to tell myself what I can improve on in my next half marathon.
I managed to run at a pace quicker than last year’s, and doing so pretty consistently except for the very end. Mile 9 onwards, I could feel that I was getting tired, but I would say that I was still going strong. After the mile-11 marker, as I ran round Georgia Tech, turning onto Tech Parkway from North Avenue, every stretch of the road started to feel like a hill to me.
The last mile was once again the most difficult mile. I ran out of steam today. It probably took me 1-2 minutes more to complete that mile alone than the rest. In the earlier miles, I looked at my pace and had a target finish time in mind and I managed to build up some margin for error in case I dropped my pace. I squandered almost all of that margin in the last mile. I tried hard to push myself forward, but the force simply did not translate into further motion.
I crossed the line just a few seconds under my target time. It was more than 3 minutes’ improvement over last year. This is a good result. To improve on my half marathon, I think before talking about improvement on pace, I should train myself to run consistently around today’s pace and sustain that over 13.1 miles. That would mean training for strength, stamina and endurance. That is something to keep in mind when I prepare for another race.
Oh, before I end this post, here is something that happened to me for the first time in a half marathon. This is the first time ever that I completed my race before the marathon leaders finished. They came in less than a minute behind me, while I was still catching my breath and waiting for my chance to tear off a sheet of Mylar heat blanket for myself.
