Body Atoms

Motive Half Marathon

It was day of mixed feelings. On the one hand, several things went right and on the other, several things went wrong. I'm happy with my finish time of 2:08:50 but feel it could have been better.

I arrived at the Motive campus just prior to 6:30 am to a steady stream of traffic. Since the temperature was still in the low 40's I stayed in the truck and assembled my gear. I had done all my packing the night before and taken out of my bag the non-essentials so it made gathering everything really easy.

While waitng for the start, I met a couple of other runners. Kim, a nurse from San Antonio had just completed the SA MArathon. We traded comments on our gear from the headphones to caps and the expected hills we were to climb. it wasn't long before the air-gun went off and 2,000 bisons were making there way through the starting gates. It took me approximately two minutes to make it through the gate. Everyone huddled together for warmth quickly jockeyed for position and open area. I had set my chrono on the watch but forgot to start the pedometer so it was off by .4 of a mile (first gotcha in the race).

I started my MP3 player and it started to have problems in the first half mile (second gotcha). I had to restart the thing three times before it settled down. Before the third attempt of restarting it, my left shin stiffened up bad and I had to stop to stretch it out (third gotcha). In the meantime, several hundred runners passed me by. It stiffened again when I tried to run on it and I had to stop again. Apparently, I wasn't the only one at this point as four or five others stopped as well on the same curb. I noticed my form had changed a little. My right foot was hitting the pavement smoothly, but the left foot was slapping the asphalt. I tried to correct the form but had to stop and stretch one last time. I relieved the shin enough that I felt I could run it out. I was still slapping the left foot but not as bad. Maybe it was good that the MP3 player had decided not to work as I wouldn't have heard the foot slapping.

I decided to pick up the pace a little as faster pace sometimes gets my form back into the groove. This proved to work and the shin stiffness/ pain subsided and it was time to get the tunes going again. This time the MP3 player decided to take hold (It is not going with me on another race. The next time you see it will be after it's smashed into thousand little pieces).

I settled into a good pace, passing a few of the hundreds that passed me while I was stretching. I was glad to have my gloves as it was still a little cold in the open areas. I felt too much heat wasn't leaving my body and I felt comfortable. I came to the first water stop and the walked through it taking in some water. I did the same thing at the second water stop before the start of the hills.

Race Data to the hill

• Place: 1482
• Time: 46:19.4
• Pace: 10:12/M

At the start of the big hill the race coordinators placed a timing mat for those wanting to race the hill for a prize. I wasn't interested and wanted to tackle the hill at my own pace. Unlike Pervasive, where the hills ate my lunch, I had trained this time and felt comfortable throughout the timing mat at the end. My heart rate soared but not out of range like at Pervasive. I leaned into the hill, shortened my stride and kept the running pace. My time was actully better for the hills than it was for the first part of the race. I was able to pass 462 people through the first hills.

Race Data after the hill

• Place: 1020
• Time: 9:52.5
• Pace: 9:52/M

The next five miles were pretty uneventful. I felt a side stitch coming on after taking water at the seventh mile mark and a little sloshing going on in the stomach so I backed off of water. I wasn't sweating hardly at all so if the conditions are cold for the Decker Challenge and the other, I'll leave the water bottle pack at home.The shins were feeling good at this point.

Crossing 183 back to the Motive campus was a little misleading. I felt we were home but instead of the 10-mile marker we passed the 9-mile marker. Another mile I hadn't counted on. Also crossing 183 meant we were face-to-face with the wind gusts. I was behind a make runner who was behind a 6' 3" male runner and he was drafting off the big guy. The big guy knew it and started swerving right and left to shake the guy off his tail. I sat back and watched for a couple of minutes. It took my mind off the cold breeze hitting my in the face. At this point a couple of pace bunnies passed me going a little faster than the draft dodgers so I moved left and decided to follow. The relatively flat course at this point was misleading. Just around the corner were more hills to come. There's something to say about driving the course a few days before.

We exited the campus and started into some neighborhoods. People came out of their homes and there were quite a few cheering us on. Even one lady playing the cello in her driveway. What a great town Austin is. This encouragement gave me a little boost and I needed it as around the corner came a hill. And after the mile-12 marker another one. Just when I felt a little weak, I found some more energy to keep up with the pace bunnies. I felt others slowing down and I decided to put in a coupld of 15-second walks to get the legs freshened up. Those that passed I was able to catch up to again. the pace bunnies were gone but I found a couple of Rogue training runners to follow at this point. it's around this point in the lileage that my feet feel like they're flattening out to pancakes. It could be the wet socks or that they really are flattening out. I might need to plan for a fresh pair of socks at the mid point for the 20-miler and the marathon.

Rounding the corner of the neighborhood I could hear the music playing and people cheering. There were several hundred at scattered along the final half mile. I put the legs into gear and motored with everything I had for the stretch. In past races this is the point where others with more gas int heir tanks passed me up. Not this time. Only one person passed in the final 100 yards which was encouraging. I was handed my water, food bag, medal and poster and headed for a soft place to land out of the wind. Already the race was taking it's toll on my legs and I felt more like 90 than 44 years old.

After the Hill Data

• Place: 1100
• Time: 1:12:37.2
• Pace: 9:36/M

Back at the ponderosa, I crawled up the stairs with a bottle of electrolyte mix and sank into a warm tub, filled with tea tree oil. I had already iced the knees on the drive home. After a two-hour nap, I felt good as new.

Run Data Final

• Place: 1218
• Time: 2:08:50
• Pace: 9:50/M

Changes to Make

• New Mp3 player
• Fold down the backseat of the truck and stretch in the truck
• Discard the water bottle and strap if it's cold and low humidity
• Yoga the night before and a light run the day before
• Drive the course a few days before
• New watch as the current one only holds 8 splits in memory
• New shoes

RunTex review of the race

Photos of the race

Permanent Link: 11/21/2005 07:27:00 AM