Rock N' Roll San Jose

I didn't do as well as I had hoped, but I managed a new personal best for the half marathon in San Jose on Sunday.

The weather was just a tiny bit cool at the start -- almost perfect. I felt great for the first few miles, and I was able to keep the 1:45 pace team in sight. I lost track of them when I took a break to get some Cytomax (the sports drink of choice at this race), but I was optimistic that I might see them again.

I started to feel a bit tired at mile 6, but I still had plenty of energy. I began eating a pack of orange sport beans, finishing them just before the mile 7 water stop. My splits remained below 8:30, but I was slowing down a bit. I wasn't sure I could get back to the 1:45 pace group, but I hoped for 1:48 or better.

At mile 10, I took advantage of the PowerGel stop, enjoying the "plain"-flavored variety and washing it down with two cups of water. In retrospect, I should have drank even more here. Things were heating up, and I could tell that my stomach was tightening.

The last three miles were barely below 9:00 a mile, and I was in danger of not breaking 1:50. I removed my heart rate monitor in case it was causing me to cramp up more than necessary. I used most of my remaining energy to keep moving forward down the final stretch, and I finished with a time of 1:49:54. Don't worry, Mom, I didn't fall over at the finish line or anything. :)

I guess this is a decent time, considering that I haven't been training as much lately, and it was pretty warm by the time I finished. However, in Tybee Island in Feburary, I ran the second half of a marathon in 1:51:13 (after a 1:57:52 first half). So, when I pick up my training again, watch out, 1:45!

Mile splits:
8:02, 7:53, 8:02, 8:05, 8:14,
8:19, 8:12, 8:28, 8:40, 8:36,
8:44, 8:59, 8:43, 0:57