2019 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon

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

Prologue

The Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon starts the racing season in Washington, DC.  Since 2008, I’ve run the full or half every year except 2018 when I ran the Shamrock Half Marathon.

My plan is to run the Boston Marathon in mid-April and the Cleveland Marathon in mid-May.  I started marathon training back in December using the Hansons Marathon Method.  This week, my workouts were 3 x 2 mile @ goal marathon pace – 10 seconds and 11 miles w/9 miles @ goal marathon pace.  The forecast was favorable – 40 degrees with calm winds.

Goals

Personal Records:

• Half Marathon PR: 1:32:19 (7:03 pace), 2014 Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon
• Course PR: 1:33:56 (7:11 pace), 2014 RnR DC Half Marathon
• Most Recent Half Marathon: 1:43:16 (7:53 pace), 2018 Navy-Air Force Half Marathon

Achievable: Sub-1:43:00 (7:52 pace).  This wouldn’t be too far off from what I ran 9 miles @ goal marathon pace two weeks ago.

Stretch:  Sub-1:40:00 (7:38 pace).  This would be the equivalent performance for running a sub-3:30 marathon but I haven’t run close to this pace for such a long distance in a while.

Strategy:  Run by feel.  Try not to waste too much energy before Calvert Hill, go hard on North Capitol Street, and then hold on!

Course

The course starts at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue near the Washington Monument.  Over the next four miles, it passes the Lincoln Memorial, the Kennedy Center, and I-66 before climbing Rock Creek Park and ending with a steep hill Calvert Street in Adams Morgan.  The route rolls through Columbia Heights, Howard University and then goes down on North Capitol Street to NoMa and the H Street corridor.  After a mile or so through Capitol Hill, the course ends near the RFK Stadium.

There are water stops and live bands approximately every mile or two.  There’s good crowd support particularly in Adams Morgan and H Street.

Playlist

I created a playlist of 1 hour and 44 minutes of music including a few Boston-related songs.

Pre-Race

Friday

I went to the expo at the D.C. Armory during my lunch hour.  I bought a few items: Brooks Greenlight Capri Pants, Brooks Chaser Visor, and a multi-colored beanie.  I passed on one of the coolest items, which was a tank with racer’s names on it.  I registered too late for mine to be on it.  (I was a little shocked at the $151.00 price tag for the event.)

That evening, the man I’ve been dating made me tofu, brown rice, and cilantro for dinner – better fuel than my usual pre-race meal.  Back home, I laid out my racing outfit – Saucony Swift Long Sleeve, Saucony Bullet Capri, and Mizuno Breath Thermo Pip – and went to bed at around 11pm.

Race Day

I woke up at 6am and it felt like I had a good night’s sleep.  I had coffee, got dressed, and even tidied up around the house before leaving at 7:30am.  I parked in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and started a 2 mile warm-up to the start near the Washington Monument.

On the way, I stopped to use one of the porta-potties lining the National Mall.  There wasn’t a line!

At the starting line area, I noticed there were corrals but my bib didn’t have one designated so I just lined up behind the first one. I saw a friend from the club I used to run with and we wished one another luck before melting into the crowd.

Then, at about 8:25am, a woman started singing the National Anthem and the crowd turned to the nearest flag.  A few minutes later, the race was on!

Weather

It was cold but comfortable at the start of the race – 39 degrees and mild winds. The temperature rose a few degrees during the morning hours but conditions remained cool and calm.

The Race

Miles 0 to 4 (Constitution Avenue, Lincoln Memorial, Kennedy Center, and I-66)

From the start near the Washington Monument, runners burst onto Constitution Avenue.  A few runners rushed past me but not so many that I thought I lined up too far ahead.  Just before the first mile, my friend from my running club pulled along side me.  We were talking quite a bit and I wondered if that was wise.  When I hit the first mile marker, I was a bit surprised to see my split was under goal pace because I didn’t feel I was running so fast.

At the Lincoln Memorial. I was surprised to see my Ragnar teammate and other running buddies cheering.  I waved enthusiastically and again wondered if I should conserve my energy.  I let my running club friend pull away soon thereafter and passed the Mile 2 marker on the downhill ramp towards the Kennedy Center.

The road was a bit torn up from construction, so I watched my footing carefully.  The course turned right onto the I-66 spur in Washington, DC.  I watched the front-runners make their way back and I yelled at a woman I knew.  A quarter mile down the road, I got pinned behind a pack of slower runners.  I surged hard to get around them just before hitting Mile 3 at the turnaround.  The split was even faster than the first!  I really thought I was making mistake going so fast this early in the race but my legs felt strong!

Out of caution, I tucked behind a taller runner and tried to block out my surrounding.  I knew the hill leading to Calvert Street was ahead and I should run a cruising pace until then.  I hit the lap button on my Garmin at Mile 4 as the course ascended the Rock Creek Parkway.  It was my slowest split so far but I was happy that it was closer to my goal race pace.

Splits: 7:30, 7:32, 7:24, 7:36.

Miles 4 to 9 (Rock Creek Park, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Howard University)

With a little time banked, I felt very at ease running up Rock Creek Park.   Thirty minutes into the run, I thought I should have water at the next station just after Mile 5.  But, for some reason, I opted to run through it instead.  The weather was cool and I didn’t think thirst would come into play.  However, I was thoroughly warmed up by then and thought I might have over-dressed.  About a half mile before the Calvert Hill, I reached The Blue Mile.  I glanced at some of the posters with the names and faces of service-members who sacrificed so much.

Then came, Calvert Hill.  I geared down to what seemed like a walk to pull the steep incline leading to Calvert Street.  It seemed a like a lot of runners were passing me but the competitor in me didn’t feel the need to push.  I saw a friend cheering towards the top of the hill.  (She later shared a video that I used to one of the blog photos.)  I felt a wave of relief at the top of the hill.  “The worst challenge is over!”  I ran under the Michelob Light arch marking the mid-way point for the half marathon.  The climb took a lot out of me and I struggled through Adams Morgan trying to find my stride again.  By Mile 7, which was near a water stop on Columbia Road just short of 16th Street, I finally felt my legs coming back.

A true surge of energy went though me after 14th Street in Columbia Heights.  I was feeding off the crowds and the rolling hills on Harvard Streets.  When I hit the lap button at Mile 8, it started to dawn on me that I might actually crush my goal time – the rest of the course was mostly downhill or flat.

Batala greeted runners as we took the right turn onto 5th Street and entered the Howard University section of the course, which is mostly downhill.  Next, the course turned right onto Bryant Street.  A runner next to me said something but I couldn’t hear because of the earbuds I was wearing.  She was smiling so I knew it was positive.  The spectators were out cheering and handing out snacks and beer.  By then, I had been running 7:20-7:20 pace for the past two miles.  And, even though I didn’t tapering for this race, I felt I could keep it up forever!  I passed the Mile 9 marker and then turned right onto North Capitol Street.  Time to really push the pace!

Splits: 7:36, 7:45, 8:26, 7:28, 7:17.

Miles 9 to 13.1 (North Capitol Street, NoMa, H Street, Capitol Hill), and RFK Stadium)

I told myself I would finally let my legs turn-over and that’s exactly what I did.  I moved to the far left-hand side of the road, which was relatively clear and just locked into running hard.  I got a confidence boost at Mile 10 when I did a systems check and knew I could hold this effort for three more miles.  Clearly the Hansons Marathon Method has succeeded in teaching me to run hard on tired legs.

In NoMa, the course turned left onto K Street NE.  I heard some commotion behind me and turned to see official vehicles trying to make their way through the runners!  I moved to the far right of the course to stay out of the fray.  There was a Rock and Roll banner overhead marking the three-quarter mark.  Then, the course went under a railroad bridge and my Garmin lost its signal.  I thought I might be turned in a slow mile but after a quick right onto 4th Street and a left to the H Street Corridor for Mile 11, I knew I was still on pace.

For some reason, the official vehicles still hadn’t cleared their way though the course and I was still trying to maintain awareness of their location.  Finally, the Mile 12 marker appeared at the end of 13th Street just before the course turned left onto Constitution Avenue.  The home stretch!

A woman who had been steps ahead of me for much of the race slowed down and I thought this was finally my chance to pass her.  I did!  And then she quickly passed me back.  After that, I decided to just finish the race strong and enjoy my accomplishment.  I couldn’t believe how well the race went!  Mile 13 was at the top of the bridge leading to the finish line near the D.C. Armory near RFK Stadium.

Splits: 7:06, 7:22, 7:46, 7:11, 0:44 (6:38 pace).

Post-Race

Crossing the finish line, I felt like I turned in a hard effort but felt great!  I took a medal from an adorable kid but passed on water and tons of food (including pizza!) in the finish area.  I ran a mile and a half cool-down back to my car in Capitol Hill, occasionally talking with a couple of runners about the race on the way.

Result

My time was 1:38:39 (7:32 pace) [Log Details].  I was the 646th finisher (top 6%), 167th woman (top 3%), and 3rd in my 5-year age group (top 1%).  It was my fastest half marathon since the 2016 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon!  Assuming the entry and standards don’t change, I’ll have a non-guaranteed qualifying time for the 2020 New York City Marathon.

In the elite field, Thomas Toth won the race in 1:05:11 (4:59 pace) and Julia Roman-Duval was the first woman finisher in 1:16:33 (5:51pace).

 

Epilogue

Overall, the race organizers pulled off a great event. The only glitches were official vehicles that weaved through runners in NoMa and the H Street Corridor, and a delay in releasing the final results.

Based on the “Race Equivalency Chart” in Hansons Marathon Method, my goal for the 2019 Boston Marathon should be around sub-3:28 (7:57), which has been my training pace.

Next race: 2019 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler on Sunday, April 7th.  (This race is only eight days before the 2019 Boston Marathon, so even though I’m registered, there’s a good chance I’ll scratch it.)

(My Racing Schedule)

Abridged Version

I ran the first four miles around 7:30 pace and cruised until I reached the very steep Calvert Hill.  Once I turned right onto North Capitol Street, I finally let my legs turn-over.  My split during Mile 10 was just over 7:00 pace! I faded a little though Capitol Hill but, I rallied during Mile 12 and turned in a 7:10 split.  I finished in 1:38:39 (7:32 pace).  It was my fastest half marathon since the 2016 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon!