2018 Shamrock Half Marathon

Scroll all the way down to the end of the post for the tl;dr version.

Prologue

Going into the race, I had been training for the 2018 Boston Marathon since January.

After lots of slow running training for the 2018 San Diego 50 Miler, I was eager to race hard again!  So, I decided to run my “tune up” races a little earlier than the training plan I’m following suggested.  Two weeks ago, I ran the 2018 Reston 10 Miler in 1:19:19 (7:56 pace).  This race would be my last before the 2018 Boston Marathon in four weeks!

The week before the race, I only managed one hard workout – a general aerobic run that Thursday – and then ran easy on Friday and Saturday.

Goals

Personal Records:

• Half Marathon PR: 1:32:19 (7:03 pace), 2014 Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon
• Most Recent Half Marathon: 1:42:55 (7:52 pace), 2017 Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon

Achievable: Sub-1:46 (8:06 pace).  I used the VDOT Tables in Daniels’ Running Formula to come up with this time.  I equated my performance at the 2018 Reston 10 Miler with a 73:56 (7:54 pace) 15K.

Stretch: Sub-1:42 (7:48 pace).  The conditions for this race should be better than they were at the 2018 Reston 10 Miler, where I finished strong.

Strategy:  Run the first 3 to 4 miles around 8:00 pace and then run a little faster for the rest of the race, if I can.

Course

The half marathon course is flat and laid out like a lollipop.

The course heads north on Atlantic Avenue (starting at Pacific Avenue) for three miles before heading west, hugging the northern border of First Landing State Park, for two and a half miles. The course cuts back east for almost four miles, passing the Cape Henry Lighthouse, before returning to Atlantic Avenue and going south for two miles.  Half marathoners are diverted a quarter mile after Mile 12 to finish on the Boardwalk.

There are water stops approximately every two miles starting at Mile 1.  Crowd support is pretty sparse except in pockets along Atlantic Avenue and the Boardwalk.

Playlist

I didn’t have time to create a new playlist, so I reused the one from the 2018 Reston 10 Miler.

And, this would be my first time racing with my new Jaybird X3 Wireless Headphones.

Pre-Race

Saturday

I drove down to Virginia Beach at 11am on Saturday morning.  Other than seeing the “Wakanda Driver Are You” sign around Richmond, the trip was uneventful.

I parked at the Convention Center just after 2:30pm for the expo.  I quickly picked up my bib and race shirt.  I had some time to kill before I could check into my hotel, so I took my time.  I bought a race themed hat and gloves, and a Lululemon Enlite Bra that was on sale.

I had a late lunch/early dinner at an Italian restaurant. Through social media, I learned a former running club friend was doing the full marathon! We talked about meeting up in the corral on race morning. I went to Harris Teeter for evening snacks and food for race day morning before shuttering myself in my hotel room.

 

That night, I checked the weather and fussed about what to wear.  It was going to be cold and windy!  I went to bed without committing.

Race Day

I woke up a little before 5am.  I tried to go back to sleep but finally got up at 5:30am.  I checked the weather and was happy to see the forecast was close to 40 degrees. I ate a King’s Hawaiian Roll and a Red Bull – the true breakfast of champions – before leaving my hotel room at 7am.

I started my warm-up on the way to the starting line.  It didn’t take long before I was sweating in a jacket I bought at the 2015 California International Marathon and hiking pants.  I went out for 1.25 miles before heading back.  I arrived just in time for the National Anthem.  I got to my corral and looked for my friend.  Unfortunately, I didn’t see her so I prepared for the 7:30am start.

Weather

Near perfect running conditions although a little chilly and a touch on the windy side.

The Race

Early Miles – Miles 0 to 3 (Atlantic Avenue – North)

I started at the front of Corral 2 and lots of runners passed me at the start, including the 1:45 pace group.  We were heading north on a completely flat four lane road but into the wind.  Once the crowd cleared a bit, I moved to the left and rode the white lane divider. I was happy to see I was under 8:00 pace for the first mile.

There was a water stop just after the Mile 1 mark and lots of runners quickly moved to the left.  I thought, “How are you people already this desperate for water on a 30 degree day?!”  The 3:25 marathon pace group also went past me, which was humbling. When I started this training cycle, I thought that might be a goal for a fall marathon but now I can’t run that pace for a half!

During the second mile, I noticed I had a little bit of a side stitch.  I was running fairly hard but I blamed it on being overheated during the warm-up.  I repeated “Glorious,” on my playlist to take my mind off of it and trick myself into feeling better.  Plus, I knew my playlist would be short.   It didn’t work entirely because I was a little concerned that my second mile was above 8:00 pace.

Just before Mile 3, the course narrowed and turned to the left.   Once again, my split was over 8:00 pace!  I wondered, “Was sub-8:00 pace for the race unrealistic?”

Splits (by course): 7:59, 8:08, 8:05.

Middle Miles, Miles 3 to 9 (First Landing State Park and Cape Henry Lighthouse)

The next two miles were downhill.  Gradually at first and then at a pretty substantial grade.  I hadn’t anticipated this and thought I should take advantage.  I lengthened my stride and increased my effort a good deal.  I was in a mood where I knew I just wanted to focus on running hard, so I went to the left-hand side of the road where I could run alone.

At the Mile 4 marker, I was shocked to see I was still running over 8:00 pace!  I couldn’t figure it out.  I wondered, “Maybe it’s the wind?”  But, my brain countered, “Even so, the downhill should make up for that.”  I tried to take comfort that I was running consistent splits.  There was a water stop around Mile 4.  I thought I should take water but didn’t want to cross the road to get any.  Even though it’s my favorite song right now, I only played “Thunder,” by Imagine Dragons twice.  I didn’t deserve a swagger song.

It was St. Patrick’s Day weekend and the left-hand side of the road was lined with themed signs. Most of them were clever plays on words. Like, one sign read, “Why shouldn’t you iron your shamrocks?” And the next sign read, “You don’t want to press your luck.” They were clever but as someone who gravitates toward being on the politically correct side, I didn’t think some of them were funny.  Like, the pair that read, “An Irishman walked out of a bar,” …  “No really, it can happen.”

 

The first marathon relay exchange was just after Mile 5 and I felt jealous that those runners looked eager and fresh-legged while I was starting to hurt.  A half mile later, the road turned right and narrowed to two lanes as it went through a military base gate.

After the Mile 6 marker, I tucked behind a runner in the race shirt and let him navigate the crowd for me.  I looked up and thought I saw the 1:45 pace group ahead.  It would be sweet if I could catch back up with them.  But, I could feel the wind blowing from my left now and wondered when we’d finally start running south!  I ran with him for almost a mile but had to let him go.  I thought I would be better off conserving energy with so much race to go.  I thought about taking a Sword Energy Chew but I wasn’t tired really.

At Mile 8, the course passed the Cape Henry Lighthouse and I got a peek at the shoreline.  This part of the course was a little desolate but there were members from the military installation out cheering.   Knowing I only had five miles to go gave me the incentive to push a little harder.  I was getting closer to the 1:45 pacer.  But, I told myself, “You don’t have to catch him in one mile.” The route approached a neighborhood and I noticed the wind subsided a lot. Finally!

Splits (by course): 8:06, 8:03, 8:07, 7:32, 7:58, 7:48.

Later Miles 9-13.1 (Atlantic Avenue – South)

There was a water stop at Mile 9.5 just as the road narrowed and turned back onto Atlantic Avenue.  Still running on the left-hand side of the road, I found myself in the unfortunate position of being between the runners and the volunteers. Anticipating problems, I put my arms out a little just as a runner made a hard left to get water.   At the same time, a woman in front of me stopped to drink water and I narrowly avoided plowing into her.  Exiting the gauntlet, I was running at a pace that I thought I could sustain but couldn’t run any faster.

One of the 1:45 pacers was in striking range.  I passed him at Mile 10 and another by Mile 11. I felt proud that I was running so hard this late in the race.

I wanted to force myself to run the last two miles ever harder.  “Prepare to hurt!”, I told myself.  But when I reached Mile 12, I couldn’t run any harder.

With about a half mile to go, the course went left onto Atlantic Avenue.  I looked for the finish line, but couldn’t see it!  We split off from the marathoners and turned left again towards The Boardwalk.  The crowds were very loud during this final stretch of the race.   I tried to find enough power in my legs for a kick but they were done.

Splits (by course): 7:41, 7:36, 7:46, 7:45, 0:47 (7:15 pace).

Post-Race

I crossed the finish line and walked a block or two collecting my medal, post-race nutritionals, and swag.

I started a two mile cool-down but decided against it when I realized how cold I was!  Instead, I went back to my hotel and showered for what seemed like forever to get warm.  I thought about heading home to beat traffic but went back to the finish line area to see my friend run a PR!  I also ran into one of my Ragnar teammates!

Result

I finished in 1:43:27 (7:54 pace). I was the 461st finisher (top 9%), 126th woman (top 5%), and 13th in my age group (top 4%).  I didn’t place in any categories.

On the elite side, a Washington DC area runner won the half marathon on the men’s side!

Epilogue

This race was fun!  From the expo to the post-race celebration, runners seemed very excited about racing.  And, there was a lot of swag!

And, it’s fast!  I’m not sure I’ve ever run such a generous course – mostly flat with two miles of downhill.

Going back to Daniels’ Running Formula VDOT tables, the equivalent marathon performance for a 1:43:27 (7:54 pace) half marathon is between 3:32 (8:06 pace) and 3:36 (8:15 pace).  It’s not where I wanted to see, but I can accept it.

Next race: 2018 Boston Marathon on Monday, April 16th. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)

Abridged Version

I had a pretty disappointing week before the race – I only ran one hard workout, so I didn’t know what to expect.  I struggled to run sub-8:00 pace in the early miles running into the wind, even when the course went downhill.  But, I managed to speed up after the mid-way point.  I finished in 1:43:27 (7:54 pace), which could indicate a 3:32 (8:06 pace) finish for the 2018 Boston Marathon.  Two more weeks of training before I start tapering!