Maybe the quest is what matters most, not the outcome.: Galveston Mardi Gras Half Marathon

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Galveston Mardi Gras Half Marathon

Rainy, windy, and 51 degrees is great weather for a race. I got to use my new wind breaker for the first time. It really helped keep me warm while I waited outside for the race to start for 40 minutes. The rain died down to just a sprinkle right as the race began. I began to warm up after about a mile and unzipped my wind breaker. Right around mile 3 my wife, parents, and dog were there cheering me on and I tossed them my wind breaker. I cooled off but then realized I had to pee. Along the Seawall there are public "potra-potties" every 1.5-2 miles. I sped up ahead of my pace group to make up some time for a quick stop. I passed 2 restrooms that were occupied and the third time was a charm right around mile 6 marker. It took me a little over 60 seconds and I was back on the street. There was a water station and I decided to take my first gel pack. I could see the pace leader's sign up ahead of me so I found a good pace and slowly tried to catch up.
At mile 7 we turned east directly into the strong winds and I decided to save some energy for when the wind was at my back. After 2 miles in the wind we headed back west and I picked back up the pace. At the next aid station I took my second gel pack and I was feeling great. We got back to the seawall again and there was my family cheering me on again. It was such a surprise and it motivated me to pass the pace leader and push myself for the next 2ish miles. They followed me in their car for a while cheering. After the 12 mile mark I picked it up again and started passing the people around me and the rain picked up again. Once I could see the finish line with 0.3mi left to go I pushed into a slow sprint and with 100 feet left I twisted my left ankle on a trolley track. I cursed and kept going until I reach the finish and stopped my Garmin watch.
My goal was to beat my old PR from November of 2:01:50 and shoot to finished in under 2 hours. The clock read 1:58:42 (gun time) as I finished and my watched showed 1:58:06 (approx chip time). I was super excited and greeted by my family. This was the first time my parents have seen me run in a race and they were exicted and kept asking if I felt ok, if I was cold, and if I need some food. We hung around for half an hour in the rain and I got a protein shake, beer, pizza, and a breakfast taco. As we were leaving they had the official time on a video screen but I decided to not make them wait. I will find out when they post them on the website.
Update:
The times were posed online. Gun time was 1:58:43.3 and chip time was 1:58:03.7.
31 out of 53 in my age group and 235 out of 1008 overall.
http://eztoregister.com/assets/MardHalf12.htm

Here are some pictures my mother took along the course.