Virtual Nike Women's Half Marathon

I did it!

My aunt came along with me (she's a runner) and the company was great. By my Nike+ iPod sport kit, I did 13.1 miles in 2:14:00, and by her Garmin, I did 13.1 in 2:16:58. Not sure which I believe (though I think the iPod kit might be a little closer), but either way, I met my goal of finishing under 2:17. One caveat - my aunt got a little dehydrated, so we took a couple off the clock water breaks that I wouldn't have taken, so I got a little extra rest. However, I feel sure that I could have done it at a very similar speed without those.

The course - Chula Vista golf course jogging trail. Really nice and flat - that part was great. Not so great was the dirt. It's all dirt, which is perfect for runners (softer), but was a downer on my toe-off power. Still, there is no traffic, it feels safe because there are lots of others out there, and it's pretty scenic for the most part. I did four loops around (it's supposed to be 3.3 miles, according to a sign, but that means four loops is 13.2 miles, and even my iPod had me going 4 times plus a little extra to make 13.1 miles) and then added a little to finish. My times for the loops were 32:45, 33:20, 33:02, 34ish (not 100% sure about the last one - it was close to 34 mins and change). Pacing felt right on, but I was sure glad to have my aunt with me on loops 2 and 3 to spur me on to keep the pace. It helped out a lot!!! I was really pleased with the pace for the whole race. To only slow down by about one minute on the last loop was really good (especially since my aunt stopped at mile 10 and I didn't have a pacing buddy anymore!), yet I was totally spent at the end, so I didn't feel like I was holding back. My aunt had good advice on pacing - she said that it's not a bad idea to do a little bit faster pace at the beginning (just a little, mind you - like 10:22-10:23 when my goal was 10:30) and that allows a little cushion for the end. It felt pretty good to do it that way, even though the conventional wisdom is negative splits.

Weather - the start was a perfect 56 degrees, but it was pretty humid. My hands were a bit cold the first loop. Then it warmed up pretty quickly when the sun came up, and by the finish it was easily 70 degrees and sunny and still a bit humid. Not the best finishing conditions, but I was able to keep the pace, which is all that matters.

I'm very pleased with the race, though not sure exactly what my finishing time is. It's a new personal best - but is it 2:14:00 or 2:16:58? Or somewhere in between? Ah, doesn't matter. My last race was 2:20:35 so it's a significant improvement and I'm thrilled.

My Nike Women's Finisher T-shirt and key chain will arrive in the mail in 4-6 weeks :)!