The start wasn't all that bad. We got there and could tell it was a good turn out of people as we had to park out a little ways from the winery in a field. No biggie...except that it was very cold out. A blustery 30 degree November day with winds. So we got there, got our numbers and goodies and bolted back to the car to get ready. Fortunately we had brought extra hats, warmer clothes, etc as we needed them.
The race started out pretty fun as I had decided to just fun run it with friends. So the first mile was a very slow-going and fun mile of running close to my friends. My sweetie Steve had decided to go for the PR that day so he was way ahead.
The next 4 miles or so were pretty mellow. Running at about an 8:30 pace with friends and then around mile 6 it was time to venture out solo and the race continued to get more difficult with hills, winds, cold, and I just wasn't really feeling it out there running on my own - especially since I had been in the hospital and off training two weeks before. But I gutted it out and finished in just over 2 hours. Not a great performance but another 1/2 marathon in the books.
After the race is where I have most of my issues with the race setup. You see the start and finish were in different spots. Runners were to finish and get on a bus to head back to the winery. So at the finish only water was available - no food. And it was bitter cold. Some runners had to wait a full hour outside in the cold to return to the winery. Not cool. Plus when you get back to the winery you have to go outside in the cold again to get food and drinks and/or watch the awards. The best part of after the race was hanging out with my sweetie and getting warm.
So in sum, the race itself could be improved by better logistics and planning - either moving the finish to where the start was or having the finish better equipped with food, mylar blankets, etc. This would have made a big difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment