Good times at the Rose Bowl 1/2 Marathon 1.22.12
Rose Bowl Half Marathon
1/22/12 8:00 AM Start
Let me start by saying this event was my first half marathon and the furthest I have run at one time. Before this event about 10 miles and 1:30 was the most I had ever done.
Race morning was cold under a cloudy grey sky. It was 48 degrees when I checked in and had probably warmed to 50 or so when the race started. I wore a running hat, ankle socks, shorts, a Craft zero extreme short-sleeved base layer and a long-sleeved technical top. I was a little cool during the first mile, but ultimately very comfortable after that and throughout the race.
The race began in front of the main entrance to the Rose bowl and headed South down the Arroyo for the 2-2.5 miles. The start is a false flat that is actually a pretty good downhill section. This made for a fast start with much of the pack going too fast to ever finish the pace. I had to focus on going slow and easy to stay at or just above my planned race pace of 9 minutes/ mile. The race then turns and goes uphill all the way to the Jet Propulsion Lab at the top of the Arroyo. It probably goes uphill to mile 10 before looping back to the Rose Bowl. Elevation gain and loss over the course is 1570 feet.
During the first 4-5 miles I was passed by tons of folks, but I kept to my pace plan, showed some discipline and focused on running smooth and steady. Just like I was told by the EN Team, after mile 5, I begin reeling these people in. In fact I was passing people right to the finish line.
At mile 8, it dawned on me, I was at the edge of my normal “long” training distance. I was headed into new territory. But I was running well, felt great and continued to keep catching people while focusing on my pacing. At mile 10, I picked up the pace and started what felt like zooming. I was really excited to look down at my Garmin and see what felt solid – sub-8:00 minute pace in lower heart rate zone 3.
Here I have to thank the Endurance Nation Team. On the advice of the team, my plan was to run the first 3 miles at 9:20, 00:20 slower than my target, run target through mile 10 and then open it up with an 8:00 pace (if I could hold it) through to the finish.
Overall, it was really a great fun race. Having a pace plan made a huge difference and the race gave me a lot of confidence for upcoming 70.3 events.
Fresh at the finish sporting my Tri Club shirt and finisher medal:
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