Nike Women’s Half Marathon
Lifetime half marathon #30
April 27, 2014
2:16:45
Temp: high 40s and windy
What I wore: hat, Swirlgear short sleeve shirt, Skirt Sports Happy Girl skirt,
PROCompression socks, Nike Elite arm sleeves, and my trusty Altra Intuitions
It was a beautiful day. Sunny but not too warm. I should have had a good race (and looking at my time, you might think I did), but this one was rough for me and it was all my own fault. Why? I totally screwed up fueling and hydrating and by mile 8 was dizzy and seeing spots. I really need to remember to take food and drink with me when I have to leave the house an hour and a half before a race. Despite feeling awful for the last five miles, I managed to maintain fairly even splits. Who does that? I just had nothing to give at the end.
The good:
- The course was beautiful. The race started facing the Capitol, which was an awesome sight in the morning.
- Packet pickup: This went totally smoothly. I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. Kudos to the organizers for making some changes that truly seemed to make a difference. (Mind you, I was there on Friday, not Saturday, but I haven’t heard any issues from Saturday either.) It was beautiful out, so I walked the 3ish miles home instead of going for a run.
- The weather was perfect! I wore the arm sleeves until about mile 5 because of the wind and then pushed them down to my wrists until about mile 7. Then I yanked them off and shoved them in my pocket. They were a last minute purchase and worked out perfectly for me.
- Plenty of porta potties at the start. I never stood in line for more than a few minutes and I was in the line often (this likely contributed to my hydration issues).
- Organization for this race was top notch.
- Seeing my MRTT ladies at the second water stop. They ALWAYS give me a boost.
- The oreo I got from a random spectator.
- Chocolate milk at the finish line.
- The bag at the end. It was awesome to have someplace to shove things in as they were handed to us, instead of having to juggle everything.
The bad:
- The metro was running a little weird, but I got there fine.
- As much as I love nuun, I really could have used a liquid with calories once I got dizzy.
- The crowding on the course and the lack of knowledge of running etiquette.
- The women who actually ran so close to me that they kicked my shoes. (This happened multiple times. Seriously, people, I’ve run bigger races with fewer rude runner issues.)
The ugly:
- Seeing spots at mile 8 was not awesome.
- The nausea that was with me from mile 8 until mid-afternoon pretty much sucked too.
Would I run it again?
All in all, my issues with this race were personal. The course was great, the organization was awesome, the weather was perfect. If it were not so expensive, I could see running it every year. Yes, I realize we got Tiffany necklaces. But, as pretty as it is, jewelry is not a big thing for me. I’d rather take that money and run two races that give me medals. If Tiffany is your thing though, this is an awesome race to run!
And because I saw Shalane wearing one, I had to buy another shirt. (OK, really, I just loved the color…)
And to truly make my day complete, we were able to join Jamoosh for dinner at Mad Fox – good food, good beer, and one of my favorite bloggers!
Now go and enter my Lift Your Sole charm giveaway!!!
Sorry about your dizziness – that would worry me! Glad the race as a whole went well. I just can’t get overthe price of this one. I think we should run from D.C. to Bethesda, hit up Tiffany’s to pick out our own bling, and then run back for brunch in Georgetown!
Coco recently posted…Band Of Brothers
I think that I just didn’t eat and drink enough.
I like your idea!
I’m glad you had a good race, aside from the hydration issues. I’m relieved that I haven’t seen negative race reports about this event because from the volunteer perspective, the start/finish area seemed really chaotic and not well organized. Thank goodness, that doesn’t seem to be the case from the runner’s perspective.
I worked it last year. Things were much better in a lot of ways this year. And most start/finish lines are controlled chaos – it only becomes a problem when it starts affecting people’s races.
I so love that purpley shirt too!
I’m sorry about your issues, but glad that you can explain them and (hopefully) prevent them in the future, *cough, Wisconsin, cough*.
Kim @ (Just) Trying recently posted…5 Things To Do in Kansas City (Before and After the Garmin/Wickedly Fast Half Marathon)
Not having the ride the metro will make a huge difference in Wisconsin LOL. And yeah, I just couldn’t resist the color.
Uggh, Issues with fueling and hydration are the worst! Hopefully you will have a better run at your next race. There is nothing more terrible than bonking! It looks like a fun race though and the race “medal” is super cool!
Sandra Laflamme recently posted…Stonyfield Organic Yogurt Pouches are here!
It sucked, but at least I am pretty sure what the issue is: I didn’t eat or drink at all between 5:30am and midway through the race. Not real bright on my part.
I ran that race last year and thought it was great as well, I too wish it wasn’t quite as expensive and I am really unlucky with lottery races :).
I’m sorry to hear about your hydration, dizziness issues, unfortunately it can come on so suddenly. And I agree with you on the Nuun, I love it, but when I’m dehydrated, I really need something with more salt and calories, which is why I unfortunately drink Gatorade during long races, it has a lot higher sodium content.
Jenny recently posted…Race Recap: Ragnar Trail Zion
Yep, for all that I love nuun, when I’m bonking like that I NEED gatorade or similar. The thought of eating anything made me queasy, but I really needed sugar at that point. Ah well, live and learn…
A friend and I really want to do this race next year due to the bling that you get. I think you did awesome! I always bring some extra fuel packs even for much smaller races just in case I get hungry – I don’t work well on an empty stomach.
Jade recently posted…Weeks 17 – 20
I had a Gu with me. It didn’t sound at all appealing. I probably should have eaten it anyways. Good luck in the lottery next year!
So jealous you got to meet Jamoosh! Not fair!
And looks like an awesome race! Boo on seeing spots though 🙁
Tiina recently posted…Near Death Experience and Tulips
This is actually the second time we’ve met up with him. I’m lucky that way. ;o)
Such a pity that you didn’t feel great for the last bit of the race. But regardless, it sounds like a pretty good one to do.
Char recently posted…Weekend Highlights
It was a great race. Too expensive for my tastes, but fun.
Sounds like a good day, other than the dizzy/nausea issues! (Though, I’ll admit, that would have ruined my day. I have a hard time being positive while I’m feeling sick)
Are you sure this is only your 9th HM of 2014? I feel like you’ve run a dozen already. =)
Diana recently posted…I’m Making It Up As I Go Along
I was pretty crabby at the end. And I definitely feel like I’ve run about 1000 half marathons.
Congrats on your race, sorry about your fueling issues though. I’ve tried to get into the SF nike women’s half, but so far I haven’t been selected. It is expensive, so I’m not even sure I’ll try again.
Yeah, the price tag was hefty. I doubt I’ll do it again for that reason alone.
Ugh sorry about the fueling issues – that dizzy feeling is awful! I agree with you as much as I like nuun in moments like that I need some real calories!
Michelle @ Running with Attitude recently posted…Coming out of my haze and turning 4
What caused the dizziness? I hope that it was a one time thing!!!
Kim recently posted…Driving and Running, Business and Sleeping, Babies and Blogging
Another awesome half finish! I love the shirts!
I did the NWM full last fall in San Fran and I *loved* it. I love my Tiffany necklace. I wore it almost everyday until I lost it. 🙁 I am so glad I did it last year and didn’t wait because they canned the full and are going the half option only as it is more popular.
Jolene recently posted…Weekly Chase 8.0
Thanks for the company!
Jamoosh recently posted…What The Friday
Sorry about the dizziness and spots, that’s never fun 🙁 I actually wondered how that would work when I heard some races using NUUN on course, calories are important in a drink on course I feel like. I’m glad that Nike seemed to have fixed some of the issues that people had with the race last year though, although I didn’t run it I remember reading about it but this year everyones recaps seem to be much more positive.
Congrats on another half, and pushing through when it wasn’t feeling great! Love the shirt you got btw! super cute!
Laura @losingrace recently posted…Post Boston Thoughts: Race, Security, Time, & Experience.
Yeah, I was kind desperate for some gatorade at that point, but oh well… They definitely made some good changes (I worked it last year). I’m sure it will be even better next year.