Seattle Rock n Roll HM Race Report – Candice C

Race: Seattle Rock n Roll Half Marathon

Runner: Candice C

Date: 6/10/18

Results: 02:12:13

• OVERALL 3394 / 9036
• DIVISION 189 / 752
• GENDER 1457 / 5338

My time this year was only very slightly faster than my performance for the same race last year.  Differences were that last year’s heart rate/effort was much higher, and this year the hills were harsher (or so I assume).

Strava activity link: https://www.strava.com/activities/1629994091

3 Bests

• Met my goals to finish respectably and without injury (fingers crossed).  I feel like this was a solid stepping-stone to continue toward a full marathon.  I never have a problem with starting races slow and then ramping up.
• Good practice for prep, gear, eating/drinking.  I felt better than I did on my recent 11 and 14 mile long runs.
• I had a fun time.  It set the stage for an overall great day.

3 Not so Great

• I was conservative and didn’t really push and use all that I had for the day. By the end, I felt like I had done an “easy run.”
• The last hill was a disappointment. I thought I was done with hills and had picked up the pace only to get disturbed mentally and I even stopped briefly – twice even.  But it was near the finish line and I couldn’t stand the wimp out with spectators watching, so I salvaged it. Otherwise I handled the hills decently.
• It’s a fun race (you are never really alone in that course) but there are so many people you can barely pass the people you need to pass.  I started in a corral pretty far back in the pack.

Highlights

• It was the perfect set of temperature and conditions for me.  

Lessons Learned

• 6:30 am race start is pretty early.  I was kinda rushed in the morning prep.  Woke up at 5:30 am, had a banana, coffee, and one bite of a KIND bar whose flavor I did not like.  In general, I’m not hydrated enough and this was the case but it didn’t derail me. I would have hated to stop and wait in line for a porta pottie.  I barely went to bed early enough the night before. I forced down some spaghetti for dinner.
• The Nathan water pack/belt worked well.  At mile 7, I started drinking the water (never used the water at stations) and slowly consumed half of a honey stinger energy gel (I like the flavor more than chocolate GU, and maybe next time I’ll do gummies).
• Maybe see if starting in an earlier corral would make a difference.  Or run with pacers. Find a way to be near better runners.
• At the end of the race, I took and drank a chocolate milk – didn’t agree 100% with my stomach.  
• Had a nice breakfast at home after the race.  Took a 3 hour nap and then was totally fine for my opera performance in the early evening.  Afterwards had dinner with friends (below) who say that Asian people do not go running.