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Pug
The Movie Geek
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Joined: 21 Aug 2003
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 Posted: 05/01/05 - 13:11 Post subject: Race Report: Wells Fargo Half Marathon (official results)
My only real goal for today was to run faster than a 2:38 half marathon. This would, cf course, be faster than my brother ran in August 2003 in his half marathon. My expectation was that I could do it in somewhere around 2:20 - 2:24. This would put me into an eleven minute mile pace. That's about what I did at the 25k last week and I expected about the same. Maybe a 10:30 pace. If I was feeling stupidly good I might be able to pull off a 10:00 pace. But that's about it. Nothing special.
It's chilly this morning. I'm in shorts, with a long sleeve over my coolmax long sleeve. Red hat. I stay in the car until about five minutes until the start at 8 am. All thousand or so runners line up, and I'm not all the way in the back but I'm far enough back that I can't hear the starter once again. The crowd starts moving and suddenly I have to go to the bathroom again. Figures. It takes a couple seconds for me to cross the line, but not too many. I only have a vague idea of the course. It wouldn't mean too much to me anyway. I've never been in Wayzata. I check my watch at the first mile mark and it's 10:07. That's about what I expected, hoped. I'll end up slowing down a little during the race because that's what always happens to me.
Second mile clicks by and I'm at 18:30. Ummm....that's a little fast. The pace has dropped to 9:15. The second mile was mostly downhill and I just heard that the course could be described at having "rolling hills". I'm not a good hill runner. My pace will come back to normal soon. Mile three: 27:00. This mile wasn't downhill. Something's wrong, I'm too fast and I'm not sure why. I still feel good, though, and I stop at the water stop. That's the only part of my strategy that is making any sense. Mile four - 35:37. Did I just get faster again? Let's just see if I can run another like that. Mile five: 44:30. Yeah, I guess I can. Mile six: 53:48.
Hold up. I'm sitting at a sub 9:00 minute per mile pace and I still have half the race. Up until this point in the race I was thinking that I would just do another mile and see how I'm holding up with my pace. I know I can't hold it, but let's do one more. After six miles I change my mind. I'm just going to do the damn thing.
I remember back in college cross country. We had a game that we played every week or two: Sharks and Guppies. It's really just tag. You start with three or four sharks and the sharks chase down the guppies. When the shark catches the guppy, the guppy becomes a shark. Soon you have more sharks than guppies. It's a good fun way to get in the miles and sort of goof off with the team. Dale (my coach) always told us during meets to run like a shark.
I'm running like a shark.
My pace is far faster than I thought I could go for this distance, but I'm sharking other runners. I'm running with a little attitude. Forget seeing how many miles I can go before I completely lose the pace. I decided that I'm just not going to lose the pace.
Mile after mile I keep checking my watch and not only am I holding pace, I'm getting just a little faster. Nine minute pace would get me through ten miles in 1:30. I was three mintues faster than that.
But then it hits halfway through this mile. I'm not a shark anymore. I'm being sharked. I hit eleven miles and I'm holding steady but not getting faster. I think I'm back down to a nine minute pace. I'm starting to hurt. I feel like I must be slowing down, but we'll see at twelve miles.
I must have slowed down. But where is the mile marker? Hello? Mile marker? I don't check my watch. I keep running, trying to keep fighting. Finally, as we're about to turn onto a dirt path I ask a nearby runner, "Have you seen the 12 mile mark? Did we pass it?" "About a mile back", she replies, "we have about 200 meters left."
Oh, do we.
I changed my mind, I feel good.
After last week's 25K I figured that maybe this fall I would try to break 2 hours in the half marathon. Maybe by then I'd feel strong enough.
I cross the line, stop my watch.
Unofficial Watch Time - 1:54:07. Pace, 8:43
You have got to be kidding me.
Official Results:
1:54:19
279/519 (gender)
20/40 AG
401/1009 Overall
Last edited by Pug on 05/02/05 - 07:59; edited 1 time in total
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Cappy
Excelent
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Joined: 16 May 2002
Posts: 27368
Location: Spreadsheetylvania
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Posted: 05/01/05 - 13:14 Post subject:
Heckuva race Pug.
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MechEngDropout
Member
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Joined: 27 Jun 2003
Posts: 10474
Location: Off the grid
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Posted: 05/01/05 - 13:15 Post subject:
Wow. That's awesome Pug. I think you've got a lot more potential than you've been giving yourself credit for.
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akern
Member
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Joined: 31 May 2002
Posts: 17149
Location: CTU
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Posted: 05/01/05 - 14:34 Post subject:
| MechEngDropout wrote: | | Wow. That's awesome Pug. I think you've got a lot more potential than you've been giving yourself credit for. |
Maybe your being a little too conservative?
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Kimba90
Member
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Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 3594
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Posted: 05/01/05 - 14:54 Post subject:
WOW 
Way to run that race. Great pace going on. Nice race report, you had the suspense building there!
I think you are in very fine shape for your marathon, keep up the good work!
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Noley
AZhat
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Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Posts: 10494
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Posted: 05/01/05 - 15:08 Post subject:
1:54.07...AWESOME!!!
You didn't lose the pace, you didn't lose the pace Pug!
What an incredible race report and I'm thrilled with your results!!!
Was it the red hat that did it???  
J/K. Great job!!!
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JACKED UP
PRESIDENT
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Joined: 06 Jun 2003
Posts: 21238
Location: www.johnnydu.com
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Posted: 05/01/05 - 15:58 Post subject:
Oh.my.god.  Amazing Pug, absolutely amazing. 
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robp
Pyromaniac
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Joined: 26 Jul 2002
Posts: 16242
Location: Waiting in line at the beer store...
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Posted: 05/02/05 - 07:59 Post subject:
Way to smoke your pre-race plans all to hell Pug!
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Pug
The Movie Geek
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Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Posts: 8924
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Posted: 05/02/05 - 08:03 Post subject:
My legs are so sore today. But in a good way because I'm so pleased with my result.
If I was looking at a 5k, I'd figure I could get back down to around 8:00 minute pace with the training I've had. But these distances here are new to me. In mid march I had never ran more than 10 miles. I really don't know what I can do with these distances yet...but I'm getting a good idea.
Thanks for all the support you guys! (and gals!)
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rolling rock
The Pinball
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Joined: 15 May 2002
Posts: 16218
Location: unknown zone
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Posted: 05/02/05 - 08:04 Post subject:
long live the shark!!!
great job pug, congratulations 
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MastrBrewr
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
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Joined: 24 Sep 2003
Posts: 6974
Location: outside
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Posted: 05/02/05 - 08:22 Post subject:
Awesome!
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coachmarkos
my boys could swim
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Joined: 14 May 2002
Posts: 11387
Location: 1st in AFC West
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Posted: 05/02/05 - 08:51 Post subject:
to Pug!
That rocks man!
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cherylpf
crazy cat lady
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Joined: 14 May 2002
Posts: 17305
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Posted: 05/02/05 - 08:58 Post subject:
HO.LEE. CRAP. Excellent race and great report Pug! Way to go!!!
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TimRuns
Member
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Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 10062
Location: Coquitlam, British Columbia
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Posted: 05/02/05 - 09:21 Post subject:
| MechEngDropout wrote: | | Wow. That's awesome Pug. I think you've got a lot more potential than you've been giving yourself credit for. |
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sonnylax
Member
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Joined: 30 Sep 2003
Posts: 2942
Location: Living in a lollipop and unicorn world
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Posted: 05/02/05 - 09:24 Post subject:
Good job shark! 
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