Race Report: Shamrock Half Marathon

DATE: MARCH 20, 2022; 7:30 AM

DISTANCE: 13.1 MI

PLACE: VA BEACH, VA

WEATHER: 37F, SUNNY

OFFICIAL TIME: 2:24:56

SWAG: LONG-SLEEVE TECH SHIRT, MEDAL, CAP, 4 BEERS, IRISH STEW, BLANKET

This was my 2nd J&A Racing half marathon, and I have to say this organization does a wonderful job planning its events. Well, technically, this would have been my 3rd J&A Racing half, but the Crawling Crab Half was canceled because of a potential tropical storm.

Quick rant before we get into the review. Since this half marathon took place on Va Beach’s Oceanfront, I was a bit disappointed with a couple of parking garages that were clearly price gouging. Seriously, a couple of garages that were near the starting area were charging 30 BUCKS for parking. Fortunately, I found a garage that charged $10 for the day.

Oh, there is some more parking drama, but I’ll get to that near the end of my race report.

Expo:

I visited the expo center on the 1st day, and it was more of a festival instead of an expo. I guess it makes sense because this race is a St. Patrick’s Day-themed race, so there was a LOT of green . . . and a lot of House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’ . . . and a lot of beer. Since I’m not too big on hanging out at expos, I did not stay too long. You know that I’m ‘a grab my bib and go’ kind of guy, but I did stick around to take a few pics.

before the half:

already discuss the 1st part of the parking drama (the second part of the drama is at the end). Going into this half, my only goal was to do better than or comparable to my One City Half Marathon performance from a couple of weeks ago.

Not sure if this is snow or snot.

I had a little clothing 'drama' because I normally wear my NYC 50th Marathon tech shirt (blue). Since this was the Shamrock Half, I considered wearing my United NYC Half Marathon shirt because it is green; however, the United NYC Half shirt is a bit tighter (ie I didn’t want to look like a busted can of biscuits while running) than the other. In the end, I went with the blue shirt. I figured my bright green shoes were enough to keep me in the shamrock theme.

Miles 1 – 5:

Pace: 11:21 min/mi

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I had the same plan for this half marathon as I did for the one a couple of weeks ago – walk up to 0.25 miles after each mile. However, I slightly modified my walking plan for this half.

• Miles 1 -5: walk 0.15 miles after each mile

• Miles 6 – 9: walk 0.10 miles

• Miles 10 – 13.1: walk 0.05 miles

While the weather was not super cold, at least to someone who has run many races during NYC winter, it was very windy.

I thought this chunk of the race went well because I did not have any lower back pain (like a tend to have) during the 1st couple of miles. I probably did not experience this pain because I had to walk about 1.5 miles from my parking garage to the starting area. 😉 During this part of the race, I did become very nervous because the 2:30 pacing group passed me, and I did not really see them again until Mile 6 or so. Maybe somewhere along the way, the two pacers were like: Oh, sh*t we are running this thing too fast.

Miles 6 – 9:

Pace: 11:03 min/mi

I found this part of the race a bit boring. Actually, I take this back. Rather than saying this part was ‘boring’, I will say that there were not many distractions during this part because a decent chunk of this segment took place on a military base (Fort Story), which did not have many spectators.

We did pass Cape Henry Lighthouse (built in the late 1700s), which is the main component of VA Beach’s city seal.

Miles 10 – 13.1:

Pace: 10:33 min/mi

A little deja vu. From Miles 10 to 12, the course was pretty much a repeat of what we ran from Mile 1 to 2. During this portion, I found myself getting into my groove and ACTUALLY enjoying the race. Better late than never, I guess. I didn’t feel tired at all, and my adrenaline was pushing me through. Also, during this part, I started to pass folks who passed me earlier in the race. I noticed that a LOT of people (not sure if they were half or full marathon runners) were running super fast during the first couple of miles. I actually thought I was in the wrong corral because of the number of folks that were passing me. But, this was the point where it was time to say goodbye to our full marathon runners.

I thought the last 0.25 miles on the Boardwalk were amazing because of the crowds. The cheering reminded me of the first time entering Manhattan during NYC Marathon. I was like; wow the spectators are really feeling us. LOL, it turns out that I was finishing the half marathon as the 1st place MARATHON finisher was making his way to the finish line. LOL.

Post-Race Thoughts (& Drama):

-This week, I will sit down and think about how I can be a better runner. While I was not disappointed with my performance because I knew what to expect from the half marathon that I ran earlier this month. However, I would like to become a faster runner. A few years, ago I was completing half marathons with times around 1:50 . . . now (unfortunately, I’m at 2:25).

-Man, this course was super flat. I can understand why a lot of folks this course (well the full marathon course) is great for trying to time qualify for Boston’s Marathon.

-J&A Racing (the organizers) knows how to throw a party. Race registration included an invitation to the post-race party, FOUR beers, and Irish stew.

-Extra points for J&A Racing hosting the post-race party inside a heated tent because it was a bit chilly on Sunday.

-The drama: My dad came to see me run and finish. Since he was too cold, we did not get a chance to meet at the post-race party. No worries because he saw me during the last part of the race. However, my time at the post-race party was cut short because I received a phone call from him telling me that his car was towed. Without getting into too many details, the towing company’s representative was a complete piece of sh*t, loser, punk a** b*tch. He (in his late 20s) pretty much was lecturing my father, a 70-year-old man about taking accountability and how actions have consequences. My dad wasn’t trying to avoid paying for parking, he made a simple mistake because 1. it was a Sunday, and 2. there’s free street parking during the off-season (Oct – Apr) in certain parts. Even the manner in which he answered the phone from other customers was in a very condescending holier thou attitude. *Let’s just say, I don’t lose sleep at night when people like him get their asses kicked by multiple people.* Since there were about 12 people who arrived at the impound lot while we were there, I think this towing company was taking advantage of towing cars that were in the area for the half or full marathon. My father said that his car was towed within 1.5 hours of his arrival in the area. Also, there were a few people in the line who were wearing their finisher shirts. Can you imagine the annoyance of walking to your car after running 13.1 miles (or 26.2 miles), learning that it was towed, then having to make your way to the impound lot (about 1.5 miles away), and paying 145 bucks to get your car back?

-Fortunately, we took care of the towing thing relatively fast, and I wasn’t too late for bunch at one of my favorite spots near the Oceanfront

Playlist:

Race Report: One City Half Marathon (Newport News, Va)

DATE: March 05, 2022; 7:00 AM

DISTANCE: 13.1 MI

PLACE: NewPort news, VA

WEATHER: 45F, SUnny

OFFICIAL TIME / PACE: 2:26:05

SWAG: Long-sleeve Tech shirt, Medal, 2 Beers, Food voucher, coupon book for local businesses

My first half marathon of 2023!!!! I think all went well, but I will say that I was slightly disappointed with my results. I finished my last half marathon, the Norfolk Harbor Half, in November with a 2:27 time. However, I finished this one with a time of 2:26. Ok, so I had a slight improvement. ;)

Expo:

The expo was no frills with a ‘grab your sh*t and go’ vibe, which was fine with me. There was quite a bit of traffic driving from Norfolk to Newport News, and I was kind of over the expo before I arrived. Then, there was a sh*t ton of traffic going back to Va. Beach because of the rain.

What a cool coincidence, I ran a half marathon (13.1 miles), AND my bib number was 1311!

before the half:

I mentioned in previous posts that making it to this half marathon would take a lot of dedication because Newport News is about 40 minutes away by car. Not a big deal, but I would have to arrive at the race around 5:30 am to take a shuttle to the starting line. Also, since my early morning poop schedule is really unpredictable, I wanted to give myself plenty of time to clear my system. All in all, I had to wake up around 3 am so I could leave the house by 4:50 am (at the latest). I was a good boy and didn’t get into ANY shenanigans the night before my half, so I did not have too much of a problem waking up.

Not sure if this is snow or snot.

Going into the half marathon, I pretty much was planning on doing the very bare minimum. I had this attitude for a few reasons: 1. I still had a bit of a back injury from NYC Marathon. 2. Honestly, running just has not been doing it for me later (more on that later). 3. I was dealing with a little GI issue. 4. I was not really prepared physically for this race.

Like always, as soon as I put on my running gear, I had to poop again. Maybe this is like a Pavlovian effect. Since I always poop right after putting on my running clothes, my body is now conditioned to doing this. I wonder if I can trick my body out of this. Maybe I should put on my running clothes as soon as I wake up so I can get my poops out of the way 60 – 90 minutes before leaving the house instead of having one last poop 5 minutes before leaving.

Ok, enough about poop!

Overall, I will say that the One City Marathon's organizers were pretty on point with the shuttle schedule, race logistics, and (of course) the after-party. One thing I have enjoyed about racing in Virginia: the local race organizers are all about the post-race parties - especially with beers at 9 am. Hey, it's 5 pm somewhere in the world.

Since the starting lines for both the half and full marathons were at two local high schools, I thought it was really awesome that we were allowed to congregate in the schools’ gyms before the race. Extra points because no one wants to use a porta-potty unless you absolutely have to.

Hell, New York Road Runners would have had our assess waiting outside in 20F temps until the official starting time

Miles 1 – 5:

Going into this race, my plan was to run and walk 0.15-0.25 miles after each mile – similar to what I did for the Norfolk Harbor Half in November. Actually, for that half, I walked 0.25 miles after each mile. Overall, the first five miles went well. Unfortunately, I did have a little lower back pain for the first 2-3 miles, which has been happening a lot in races. Going forward, I think that it might benefit me to run 0.5 miles before the race starts. I guess my reasoning for not doing this is why warm up by running 0.5 miles if I’m going to run 13.1 miles.

I’ll say that running NYC races has really spoiled me because I’m used to running on 100% closed roads for those races. Here, you gotta share the roads with cars. Since I do not trust other drivers, I’m always a little apprehensive about sharing the road during these races. What if someone loses control? What if someone doesn’t realize there is a race going on? What if someone at an intersection gets frustrated with the closed road, and decides to run over the runners?

Miles 6 – 9:

I was really getting into my groove. Since I wasn’t feeling too much like a struggle, I decided to walk 0.1 miles (or was it 0.15 miles), instead of 0.25 miles, after each mile. I really enjoyed this portion of the run because of the scenery – in particular running through Christopher Newport University and running along the James River and portions of one of the Civil War Trails.

Miles 10 – 13.1:

This is when I got my second wind (it’s about time) and started running without taking my 0.1-mile walk breaks. In addition to eliminating my walk breaks, I started fartleks and picking up the pace in 0.25 mil increments. I was kind of excited because I started catching up to folks and passing them. Also, I managed to do a full-on sprint for the last 0.25 miles. Well . . . as much of a sprint that I could do after running 12 miles. 😉

I forgot where I saw this, but I thought the Quitters Chair (with refreshments) was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen during a race.

She told me after Mile 11 not to let the ‘fake’ finish fool me. After Mile 11.5, which was near the start, there was a lot of commotion and cheers, BUT you still have to run some more and make another loop to the finish line. The commotion was not for the finishers approaching Town Point Park, but it was from people at the post-race party. I’m so glad I listened to her because I was have been really frustrated and annoyed from Miles 11 to 13.1. Yes, we all have GPS devices, but this was my first time running this race . . . and to be perfectly honest, I did not really study the course. All I knew was the race started and ended at Town Point Park, BUT I didn’t know that you had to run past Town Point Park two times for the finish.

Post-Race Thoughts:

-While I am happy that I finished the race with a decent time. Well . . . decent time for me. I am a bit annoyed that I did not perform as well as I did for this one (2:26) compared to the one in November (2:27). A couple of reasons why I was slightly annoyed:

• I was more dedicated to training for this half marathon training, especially after I changed my registration from the full to the half marathon.

• I did not walk as much during this half marathon as I did for the one in November. Hell, I didn’t take a food break (walking about 0.5 miles while eating a Cliff bar) for this one like I did in November.

-After finishing writing this, I realized that the Norfolk Harbor Half in November was a couple of weeks after NYC Marathon. Maybe I was in a better physical state back then compared to this weekend. I gotta think this through because something is a bit off.

-Perhaps, not setting a goal is what contributed to my minor improvement of one minute. In fact, I had to look up my finishing time for the November half marathon. I think if I had an actual finishing goal, I probably would have pushed myself starting at Mile 8.

-Man there were a LOT of churches along the course. I actually lost count, but I think we passed at least 8 of them in 13.1 miles.

-Beer . . . easy post-race carbs. Actually, I think this is my 1st rectangular medal. Most of my half-marathon medals have been circles or ovals.

-Jesus, look how big my post-race pizza was.

Playlist:

One City (Half) Marathon Training Wk “6"

PLANNED MILES: RUN AS YOU FEEL WEEK

COMPLETED MILES: ???

We're getting there!!! Finally, this half marathon is next week. Since nothing really interesting has happened during this training week, I guess that I'll do random thoughts about running and fitness.

RUNNING

-While the One City Half Marathon is less than a week away, I have to Gob (from Arrested Development) myself:

Why? Bib pick-up is on Friday, and I have to arrive at the parking site by 6 am to catch the shuttle to the start line. That’s not an issue, but Newport News is about 45 minutes away (and 33 miles) from where I live. Basically, I have to make TWO Newport-VA Beach round trips in the span of two days. Forget free parking, could I also get a gas voucher? Hey, these are the things we do to get a tech shirt and a medal. 😉 Regarding race day, I wonder if I should stay with a family member who lives a little close to Newport News.

-At this point, it’s kind of “it is what it is.” I’m pretty much going to do this run as a run-as-you-feel half marathon.

-Since my local rec center is closed until March 1st, I had the opportunity to check out a couple of other Virginia Beach rec centers. I’ll say VB Parks & Rec overall has done a great job with its rec centers because they definitely have improved since I was a youngin’ living in the Old Dominion state.

-One LOL during one of my rec center experiences. Um, why the hell is the stretching area in front of two single-user restrooms?

I don’t know who was more embarrassed: 1. me, who was engaged in multiple weird and awkward yoga poses, or 2. the people going in and out of the restroom? Maybe I was more embarrassed because I would assume the regulars are used to it. 😉 Oh, I gotta give the rec centers mad props (do people still use that term?) for having free lockers.

Again, when I was a youngin, I remember pissing off my parents by realizing that I had to put something in or take something out of a locker AFTER closing. Back in the day, the lockers were 25 cents (and you had to use quarters) every time you locked it.

-Danza Kuduro probably is one of my favorite go-to songs when starting a cardio (eg running, spinning) workout.

-During my self-directed spin workout, I had the opportunity to hear different versions of "Gloria" in three different languages (English, Italian - the original, and Spanish). It's kind of funny because my 6hr playlist was on shuffle, but it played all three versions within a 45 min workout.

Long Run Chronicles:

Eh, nothing to report here.

INTERMITTENT FASTING:

No major updates. However, I’m not sure if I’m looking forward to my weigh-in on the 1st

TRAINING PLAN:

Goals for the week:

-You know what? No goals this week. 😉

-I lied. Investigate some spring half marathons. Since we are traveling to Spain in April, I want to shoot for another half marathon in May. Actually, I should double to check to see if there will be any races of interest held during our visit. Unfortunately, I already checked,  and Rock n Roll Madrid occurs the week after our trip.

Long Run Playlist:

I think my playlist for my upcoming half marathon (errrr, I mean half marathons) is ready. Actually, I take that back because I would like to add a few Broadway musical tunes to this playlist. It seems as if taking things back is a theme for this week’s training update.

One City (Half) Marathon Training Wk “5"

PLANNED MILES: 17

COMPLETED MILES: 12

Another week, another fun running journey.

I saw this meme on Twitter and chuckled. It reminded me of the 1st time I went for a run during my graduate years. That run pretty much happened because I wanted to run away from my experiments and some of my coworkers. To be frank, it was either go for a run or catch a case.

RUNNING

Over the past couple of weeks/months, I have mentioned my desire to find alternative places to do my training and long runs just for a little variety because I typically run in two places: the rec center or Mt. Trashmore Park.

During Sunday’s run, it hit me. Mt. Trashmore probably is one of the best places for me to run for a couple of reasons.

• It’s super close – about 3 miles from my house.

• The park allows one to have a range of running workouts. I don’t think that I’ve had the same long run since moving to the area. You have so many combinations of routes with various levels of difficulty. For example, you can simply run the perimeter of the park for a pretty easy terrain or you can incorporate one or both of the park’s hills (“mountains”). Eek, speaking of combinations (and I guess permutations) reminds me of those stupid formulas from middle/high school math: nPr (premutation) and nCr (combination). You know I never really “understood” those things until graduate school. I only understood those in graduate school because I had a part-time job as an SAT tutor, so I really had to learn them to teach the youth.

While I’m not saying it is the absolute best place to run, it works for me. One con of doing training runs at Mt. Trashmore: the birds will use your car as a toilet when you park near Lake Trashmore. Normally, I don’t get too upset with a little bird poop. However, in this case, I was annoyed because I just washed and waxed the car a few days ago.

Perhaps, this was karma getting back at me for complaining about my weird poop schedule before this week’s long run.

Now that I’m a few weeks away from one of my two March half-marathons, I’m at the point where I just want to get them over with. That said, I’m still enjoying my training runs now that I’m running a half instead of a full in March. For instance, I did not run as many hill intervals as I would have liked to on Wednesday, but I really enjoyed the workout.

The idea pretty much was to run the span of the highest point of the big "mountain" for about 45 minutes and do a recovery jog around the perimeter of the "mountain". Unfortunately, I had to alternate between running and walking the hills. Hopefully, I will get to the point where I can do this training run for at least 30 minutes without having to walk.

Long Run Chronicles:

This week’s 10-mile long run went pretty well. For this weekend’s long run, I ran several laps around the park and followed each lap with a big hill.

Now, that I'm getting decent and consistent distance under my belt, I think that it's time to crank it up a little. Actually, I'll take that back. Let me focus on running the whole stretch, then cranking up the speed. For now, I'm still alternating between running and walking for my long runs. Typically, I will run 0.75 miles and walk for 0.25 miles. While I know it is perfectly acceptable to walk during a long run, perhaps, I can work on running the 0.75 miles a bit faster.

What an interesting coincidence: During one of my walk cycles, I noticed that Tamta's Replay was playing while I hit 8.08 miles.

It’s “funny” because the singer says something like: I know you miss the taste, and my heart beats like an 808. You need my love on replay, replay, replay, replay, replay.

Hey, I didn’t say that it’s a lyrical masterpiece. ;)

INTERMITTENT FASTING:

Since IFing is going well, I'm gonna start integrating Beachbody's 21-day Fix (at least during the weekdays) for my feedings. For this plan, the daily number of food containers for the various food groups is calculated by using your weight, basal metabolic rate, workout calorie burn, calorie deficit (if you want to lose weight).

I’ve tried doing this a few times in the past, but it never really worked out because:

• I don’t think I was as dedicated and motivated to do it. Hey, we were in the pandemic when I first considered this program, and you don’t really notice weight gain while you are working from home in sweatpants.

• I found that I was still hungry with the portion amounts. Since I now am satiated with less food thanks to IFing, perhaps, it will not be as difficult to stick to the daily container amounts as in the past.

• It takes quite a bit of meal planning.

TRAINING PLAN:

Goals for the week:

-Increase the intensity of my non-easy runs.

-Nightly stretching and foam rolling. I know this has been up here for a while, but I’m still not consistently doing this. I’ve changed the time of my alarms so I’ll do these earlier in the evening rather than an hour before going to sleep.

Long Run Playlist:

I think my playlist for my upcoming half marathon (errrr, I mean half marathons) is ready. Actually, I take that back because I would like to add a few Broadway musical tunes to this playlist. It seems as if taking things back is a theme for this week’s training update.