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.
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. :)
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.
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.
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.
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Gratitude Journal
Nov 18
I am grateful for my chiro
I am grateful for neat medals
I am grateful for cold wraps
I am grateful for vegetarian chili
I am grateful for green apples
Miami Beach Halloween Half Marathon
Congrats on the awesome PR! Good to know about the Arctic Ease. I got a sample one somewhere…looking forward to using it!
Congrats on your PR!!!
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! :)
You ran a great race – a 5 minute PR? Amazing, and congratulations!!!
Hello, speedy lady! I'm in awe!
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)
Awesome race and report! Great PR, well done! Take care of that quad.
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!
That wrap thingie is awesome! Must find one for myself…
Congrats Amanda! You ran the perfect race! Awesome. I love that Arctic wrap!!
Great job!!I'm a pace monster, too. I just lock in! :) My Grand Rapids marathon was only 5 seconds from being exact 10 minute miles.
congrats lady! that's awesome to smash your pr like that! was the race scheduled to go off at 617?! crazy hahah
AWESOME! Congrats on a great race pacing wise and a the huge PR!!!
Hi there!Congrats on a PR. That's always fun;-)and yah…it can be frustrating trying to constantly run through people in a race..congrats!
YEA!!! congrats on the fabulous PR!! the ice pack sounds like a great idea, i have to look into those.
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 ;))
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!
Congrats on your PR that is awesome!
5 Minutes!?! That's amazing especially if you said the course was crowded. Congrats!
YAY!!! Congrats on your PR!! Looks like a gorgeous race. I'm so jealous you have SUN and we have SNOW!!
Congrats on a BIG PR! Sorry about the leg, but sounds like you are on top of it.Go for L.A.!
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!!!!
Congrats on the PR, and a great race with a smile on the face! Great pics!
Congrats on the 5 minute PR! And it's great to hear that you smiled thoughout the race!
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.
Woohoo! Congrats on your awesome race and 5min. PR!! Yay!! Your outfit was super cute too! :)
Great race report! I love Artic Ease as well! I got samples at the chicago expo and seriously think it's a great product.
Wow, awesome job. Congrats on the PR!
Congratulations on your PR, 5 minutes is HUGE!!! :) Beautiful pictures, looks like a great race! :)
Congrats on a new PR! Sorry to hear about the quad thought – ouch.
AWESOME! Congrats on a great race and a huge PR! :)
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!
Congrats on a great race and big PR! Hope that quad is feeling better soon!
Congrats on the awesome PR! I love your running skirt! Looks great on you!
Congrats on your PR!
congrats!! What a great race and love the PR!! :D
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!
Congrats on the PR!
Congrats girlie! Very impressed with your pacing! That is an awesome time!!!!!6:13? WTF?
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!
wow great job on the MAJOR PR. Sounds like you ran a great race!!!!!