2010 gasparilla half marathon race report

here is the breakdown of my time from yesterdays gasparilla half marathon:

Distance HALF MARATHON
Clock Time 01:38:53
Chip Time 01:38:09
Overall Place 214 / 3901
Gender Place 32 / 2132
Division Place 6 / 390
Pace 7:29.1

overall, i was very happy with my time. although not a pr for that distance, it is my 2nd best time ever for a half mary and i'll claim it. my pr was from back in 1999 and it was 1:36:??. can't quite remember the seconds and did an internet search to see if i could find it and nothing. i haven't done a pure half marathon since then until yesterday. i've never been so happy to NOT be running a marathon this time around. this time i was the lucky dog that got to make a u-turn and head back rather than keep going straight.

usually i like to wake up about 90 minutes before i have to leave home but i turned off the alarm when it went off and fell back to sleep...seinfeld episode with jean paul the marathoner comes to mind. anyway, i ended up waking up about 4:30am, thankfully everything was laid out the night before so i didn't have to scurry getting things together. i'm extremely organized so this late wake up didn't mess me up at all. i jumped in the car at exactly 5am and headed south on I-75. as soon as i veered onto I-4, i start seeing the lit up billboards on the interstate reading CRASH, expect delays, southbound I-275 CLOSED. now i'm thinking oh crap, that's exactly where i'm headed and start thinking of alternate routes. i did end up having to head back north again and called my friend amy to tell her i really didn't think i was going to make it on time and to not wait for me. thankfully i know tampa very well so i hit some back roads and made it to my favorite parking garage on davis islands with 20 minutes til race time. i know for a fact that a lot of people were probably very late because the traffic was backed up going into downtown, which is the main way to get to the race start.

amy and i found each other about 3 minutes into the race and we almost took a spill as we were saying hello while rounding a very slick brick road. yikes! i felt strong for the most part and held a steady pace the whole way. i'm not one of these runners who starts slow and speeds up or starts fast and slows down...i find my pace and hold it.

i'm very sore this morning. for those not familiar with bayshore blvd., from a runners standpoint, it wreaks havoc on your quads. regardless of whether i'm doing the 15K, 1/2 marathon or full marathon, i get sore beyond belief. the main reason this happens is because bayshore is concrete and you feel every step of it too. so hard on the legs. makes me really appreciate asphalt and trails so much more.

sadly, this was the 10th running of the gasparilla marathon and the last year. it just didn't get as much participation as expected over the years. the good news though, is that the half marathon is extremely popular, so that will be the race to do from here on out. i prefer the half marathon over the 15K. i always say, the more real estate i have to cover, the better i do.

i really was expecting to swim this morning but the temperature was colder than expected and the pool wouldn't be able to open until around 8:30-9am. i'll get there later or tomorrow. doesn't look like there will be any swimming in the morning at all this week as ANOTHER cold front is coming thru...AGAIN! uugh! enough already i say. where's my warm, spring weather dammit?
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update on the mystery flavor gu i tested out recently...

i was almost right with my guess of blueberry. it was jet blackberry and i like it a lot.

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hope everyone had a great weekend...much love and peace out!