RunToTheFinish

Online Running Coach | Running Shoe and Gear Reviews

13.1 Fort Lauderdale Race Report

Last Updated on by Amanda Brooks

Writing a good race report should be incredibly easy…so I have no excuses for taking so long other than hoping that I might actually have some great race day photos to share.131ftl
Race morning, I was lucky to have Diana and Jehan for a carpooling team once again. This whole concept of having people with you at the start line is new to me and I seriously LOVE IT. These girls are now training for the LA marathon…and…I ….might. :)

PreRaceFTL
The race started at 6:13, which is just another way to put their mark on the entire 13.1 series. Unfortunately because of the TIGHT corrals I didn’t get to do any warm up…literally nothing. I always walk before running, do my dynamic stretches and usually jog easy, so I was concerned.

Luckily during the race this lack of warm up didn’t seem to be an issue. The issue I figured out later was I strained my quad. My first mile was my slowest which is my desired game plan! Unfortunately it was also so crowded that it wasn’t really an option. I have two complaints about this race….

A. They shut down only one lane so it was crowded for the first 4 miles, making it impossible to pass without running in to traffic.

B. The water stations didn’t know what they were doing…a lot of us had to grab overly full cups from the tables ourselves. I understand folks are often volunteering for the first time, but maybe a little more instruction?

Now on to the good stuff…
– We ran along the ocean for at least half of the race, which was beautiful and I did my very best to try to take it in
– The weather could not have been any better for South Florida.
– The course had bands throughout.
– I knew friends were racing with me, so that kept me motivated. Once I settled in to a pace I stuck with it for the entire race.
FTLrunIMG_0085
People have always said pacing is my strong point and I guess they are right because I literally stayed within 10 seconds of the same pace for the entire race after mile 1. I really wanted to pick it up that last mile but didn’t have it, oh well!

In the end I finished in 1:50:30, which is a 5 minute PR!! A big thanks goes to Thomas who trained with me and was a big motivating factor in getting me to finally work on my speed…this rock star had a 14 minute PR!!! So yes I HIT MY GOALS. I had a blast, smiled the whole way and hit 1:50.
AmandaandthomasFTLGirls
POST RACEI suited up in my standard out fit of my McDavid compression pants and um yes my medal! Then yesterday when my quad started to really hurt, I tested out this new wrap from Artic Ease and hello can you say LOVE.

Artic Ease is like a combo of an ace bandage wrap and an ice pack. You keep it in this little package and then can actually wear it for doing activities because it stays put, which means it is 10,000 times more convenient that trying to sit around with a bag of peas.
I was surprised to find that something from a package could start out and stay cold for hours! Afterwards I wrapped it back up with a little water and then was able to use it again this morning and yes it’s still cold. Seriously this is revolutionary for us crazy athletes who need to ice, but never stop going.

I’ll be entering my PR in the PR Challenge results, have you entered yours yet???? I’ll post an updated list this weekend, sorry if I missed some of you last time.
———————————
Gratitude Journal
Nov 18
I am grateful for my chirosig
I am grateful for neat medals
I am grateful for cold wraps
I am grateful for vegetarian chili
I am grateful for green apples

Category: Active Travel, Florida, Half Marathon, Race

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Lacey Nicole

    oh my gosh amanda CONGRATS!!! 5 min pr! and being so consistent. that is fabulous!!!! you also look so beautiful in yellow!!!!!!!!!! :)i need to see some beach sometime soon… winter is on its way…….. wahhh! :)

  6. Aneta

    1. love that yellow shirt on u2. congrats on the race3. congrats on the amazing PR!! (i am glad we are not in the same PR challenge category, bc i think you just whooped my butt)

  8. Abby

    Yay!! So glad to hear that it went well! As for LA, I say go for it – and go into it with the exact same mentality that you've had for your last couple halves. It clearly works well for you!

  16. Thomas T

    Thanks for the shout out! What a great race! The fun part was training with you on those long Saturday run and those speedy Wednesday night runs. That kept me focused and determined to meet my goal. Little did I know I would run a 1:46:21. Congrats on your PR and can't wait to start training to the next PR ;))

  17. Lesley

    congrats on a great race! I ran the 13.1 too and PRed with a time of 2:00:46. I thought the water stations were okay? But I agree about the race route being too narrow at the beginning (but how fun was the tunnel?!). talk about perfect south florida weather though–we lucked out!

  22. Shellyrm

    Congrats on the PR! You looked great throughout the race. Loving the yellow!Artic Ease do look awesome. I just need a race or run to get to try them out. Have a great weekend…can we say HBBC tomorrow!!!!

  25. Kirstie

    Congrats on the PR! Awesome. Good to know about Artic Ease. I just saw this at a Ladies Night at a local running shop but didn't get a chance to get the sample. I will keep my eyes peeled for it now.

  32. Meg

    5 minutes off your time is excellent, you should be so proud of yourself and your training! I loved the pictures with friends, you all look so healthy and fit!

  37. Kelley

    What an awesome time – you must be stoked! The more I train for this marathon, the more I think half marathons are my favorite. I am so impressed with your run!

  40. the dawn

    what an awesome race! way to lay out your goals and then stick to them. it speak to the maturity you have as a runner and your high quality training. good job amanda!

7 Secrets to Break Through

Feeling stuck? Discover which of the 7 most common runner issues is holding you back in this free program. Videos, interviews, workouts and more!