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You are here: Home / 14in2014 / Half Marathon #2 for 2014: Caesar Rodney

Half Marathon #2 for 2014: Caesar Rodney

March 24, 2014 by MCM Mama 9 Comments

Caesar Rodney Half Marathon
March 23, 2014
2:14:38

caesar_rodney_swag

Temp: 40 degrees and windy
What I wore: hat, tank top, Champion Half Zip, Brooks Essential jacket, Happy Girl skirt,
PROCompression socks, and (of course) my trusty AltraRunning Intuitions

Caesar_rodney_collage

I’ve run this race before.  It was one of my first half marathons.  So, I knew the course:  fast first 6 miles, wicked hill from 6.5-9ish, downhill/flat until a final wicked uphill finish.  I had a plan.  All I had to do was execute it. The plan: run it as a training run.  My legs were tired from the heavy mileage of the previous week plus the secret to serial half marathoning is to not race every single race.

I failed to execute.  My average pace at the start of the hills was 9:59.  Ummm….  Where did that pace come from???? The hills slowed me down, but not as much as I expected.  I guess my “embrace the hills” philosophy from this winter paid off.  In fact, I ran strong until about mile 11 when my legs decided they where done.  (At that point, they’d run 70 miles in 9 days, so who could blame them.)  The last 5k was a 10:36 pace (including the wicked uphill finish).

The good:

  • The race was extremely well organized.
  • Despite struggling with what to wear, I ended up with exactly the right amount of clothing on.
  • The food:  I had a cupcake and a piece of pizza pretty much seconds after crossing the finish line.
  • Running into a Half Fanatic that I knew and getting introduced to several others.
  • The last minute decision to stay at the hotel right near the start/finish line area. They even gave all runners a 2pm checkout.  Kudos to them for that.
  • Seeing old friends the night before and having a couple of yummy beers with them.

The bad:

  • The start time.  This race doesn’t start until 9:30am.  I am not a fan of that late of a start.
  • The packet pickup ends super early on Saturday, so I had to do packet pickup on Sunday morning. (This was actually a big part of why we got the hotel room.)
  • The weather.  Both times I’ve run this race it’s been below average temp for March.  Yesterday it was windy in addition to the 40 degree temps.

The ugly:

  • The hill in the middle.  Miles 6.5-9 are just HARD.  Not as steep as the hill from RnR, but just a constant upward grade.  It took a lot out of me and my quads are super sore today.
  • The finish.  Who wants to end on a steep uphill for the last third of a mile?  I hate hate hate the end of this race.

caesar_rodney_medal

I never thought I’d run this race a second time, but it worked well for my schedule and we got to see a friend of Beer Geek’s from college.  I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to run it again, but if the opportunity ever presents itself, it’s a race I enjoy and would not mind doing again.  And the beer I had at Stewart’s brewpub afterwards was definitely the way to celebrate finishing #2!

stewarts-oyster-stout

Today is the last day to enter my PROCompression sock giveaway!!!  New giveaway starts tomorrow!

2 races down, 11 to go to get to Venus!

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Filed Under: 14in2014, Half Fanatics, half marathons

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Comments

  1. Kim @ (Just) Trying says

    March 24, 2014 at 12:50 pm

    Nice medal!
    What is it with so many east coast halfs starting so late? The one we did in NJ was in October and it started at 10am. So weird.
    Way to go on #2! Woot!
    Kim @ (Just) Trying recently posted…Weigh In WednesdayMy Profile

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  2. Tiina says

    March 24, 2014 at 1:19 pm

    Nicely done! Yay #2! Especially after such high mileage for the week!

    And I’m not a fan of late starts either. It’s nice to have it over and done with in the morning and then bask in that all day 🙂
    Tiina recently posted…On the Right Road – Tuesday TidbitsMy Profile

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  3. Diana says

    March 24, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    Congrats on a strong race after a hard week!
    Diana recently posted…Countdown to Cherry BlossomsMy Profile

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  4. Char says

    March 24, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    Well done. I totally relate to the hatred of hilly courses. There’s a few that I’ll never run again because of the hills.
    Char recently posted…But I Was So Sure.My Profile

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  5. Jennifer says

    March 24, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    Congrats on another half!
    Jennifer recently posted…Weekly Workout/Training in Review 3/16-22My Profile

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  6. Hildy says

    March 24, 2014 at 9:41 pm

    Congratulations! completely agree with hills at the end of a race!
    Hildy recently posted…The Weekly Chase #3My Profile

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  7. Half-Crazed Runner says

    March 24, 2014 at 10:21 pm

    I’ve run this half. That hill at the end is sheer torture. Great job! That’s a tough one!
    Half-Crazed Runner recently posted…Rock’N Roll Half Marathon in DCMy Profile

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  8. Kristen says

    March 24, 2014 at 10:40 pm

    Congrats! I’m not a fan of hills in races at all, especially at the end of races. I never get why they would do that to runners!
    Kristen recently posted…Monday Motivation: I Can and I WillMy Profile

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  9. becka says

    March 26, 2014 at 11:51 am

    I ran this as my Delaware race. I very clearly remember that hill… We were out-of-towners so the morning pick-up was fine for us. But I agree, the late start wasn’t the best. Congrats on another 1/2!

    Reply
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Who is MCM Mama?
A slightly obnoxious mom and wife who loves good beer and running, who struggles a bit with depression especially in the winter and when running isn’t allowed, who’d rather go on a fun vacation than upgrade the kitchen or add a master bath, and has a minor addiction to the Marine Corps Marathon.

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