Ah yes, my last half marathon in oh my goodness who knows how long.  I would have loved to be still under 1:30 but it was a pretty brutal (hilly) course so that wasn’t an option. 

Before the race I needed to take a photo next to the muscle milk.

The race started at a lovely 7:00 in Annapolis, Md at Dad’s alma mater.  (The Navel Academy).  It was perfect race conditions as far as heat and temperature wise.  Both the 10k and half marathon started together.  Needless to say, the fastest 10kers and the fastest half marathoners were together for the first 3.1 miles.  Something I didn’t realize (because god knows I have the attention span of a knat) until I saw the first few females turn around-I was instahappy to realize I was in 10^th place.

I ran the first two miles in 13:10.  By the first two miles, I mean the only flat miles.  The rest were pretty hilly but certainly not flat.  I’m not complaining, I’m just stating.

There were some serious-150 foot bridge climbs that over a short period were pretty brutal.  For some reason, when we drove over them the day before,  it didn’t click to me how high we were going.  We did the same bridge twice (around mile 3 and 9?).

The race itself, turned around at about mile 7 (it wasn’t an exact out and back course-there were some weird loops and such) but it was around the turn around a male runners blew by me like I was standing still.   I didn’t even he was running the race until when he turned around with a bib on.

*To clarify, I don’t have a problem with males running the Zooma Women’s Half, I just think it was funny.  This was a pretty expensive race.  There weren’t awards for men.  This wasn’t a PRing course and there were other races around that could be run instead.   In fact, I believe for the 1100 woman there were about 100 men that ran it.   Anyways-

After that we turned around and I saw the entire rest of the race, including the daddykins.  From mile 8-13, I was basically dead.  I was never feeling terrible, I just never felt that great. 

We then met back up with the 10kers at their turn around point but still had about 4 miles to go because we got some bonus loops.  Keep in mind, we were meeting with the 10kers now that were doing 1.5-2 hour 10ks and we were going up a bridge.  A lot of people were walking (which I have no problem with obviously, it just made for a lot of weaving and extremely hard to get water at a water station…I decided not too at the one).

*the only thing that I was not in love with that race was that particular 2 miles of running and weaving. 

The final .2 was in an uneven cross country course terrain back to the stadium.  It was an interesting experience.

I finished 4^th overall, 3rd female overall (out of 1099F).  I honestly think this is my highest place finish in such a big pool of (female) runners. 

I know my pace got significantly slower in the last few miles (I don’t own a Garmin…maybe soon).

In short: I’m happy with my placing, not as happy with my time.  Hills are hard.  Don’t be *that* racer.  No more halves until possibly next year.

Dad and I, Post race

Question for you: 

1.       Have you ever done a female based race?

2.       Are you a hill runner?