Shamrock Half Marathon 2011

By Dennis Livesay

This is my first race report for the UCRR crowd. And now that I’ve actually paid my dues — literally, but not necessarily figuratively — I thought it was time to add to the UCRR library.

Writing a race report is strange process. It provides time for reflection, allows us to tickle our inner scribe and most importantly, allows one to bask in the awesomeness that is I. I’ve debated this narcissistic component with others over the years (what else are you going to discuss on 5 hour bike rides?), and I find it amusing that some simply won’t acknowledge it. “I only write race reports for my the benefit of my pals.” Yeah right. We all get a thrill telling boring stories of personal glory. And you know what, that’s okay. Besides, humility has never been one of my strong suits. You’ve been warned.

BTW, one aspect of race reports that has always seemed contrived to me is the pseudo-suspense associated with mile splits and the final time. Long story short, my time was 1:24:39. Goal achieved. And everyone had a Sham-rocking time. No need to read further.

This is my third Shamrock Half. Previous best was last year in 1:38 and change. Subsequently, lost a ton of weight, lowered my PR to 1:26:10 and starting in December joined Sifu Hadley’s clan of runner apprentices. So I was hoping, no expecting, to PR. Goal was to break 1:25, or 6:29 pace. Training over the last few weeks has been going well, and preparation this week was perfect. Was even able to avoid my normal race week nerves, which Lauren seemed to appreciate (I can be admittedly prickish when I’m nervous). Slept and ate well to boot. Everything seemed too good to be true. The pessimist in me was worried.

My facade started to crumble when I woke to howling gusts of wind on race day, which added a new twist to my pre-race ritual. New routine meant checking every weather related website, hoping for some hint that the wind would magically die down by 7am. No luck. In fact, it was suggested that the wind might die down, but not before we ran halfway out into it. D’oh. I tried not to dwell on things I couldn’t control, but failed miserably. I think my heart stopped as I stepped out of the hotel, the wind was much worse than I thought. But this turned out to mostly be the gusts through the buildings. Out on the open road, it wasn’t as horrible as I initially thought, especially if you hugged the hedges. I made a mental note to run as far into the gutter as possible.

Headed to the start after a mile-ish warm-up. Did my stretches and lined up about 3 rows deep. I wanted to run the first mile in ~6:40, which is close to what I actually did (Mile 1 = 6:35). I settled into goal pace and ran miles 2-6 at 6:30 (+/- 1 sec). While not as bad as originally feared, the wind was much worse than my first two Shamrocks. I stayed in the gutter, and tried to draft as much as possible over the first 2.5 miles, and then we thankfully headed inland with signficant tree protection from the wind. This stretch is VA Beach’s version of a hill (net elevation gain = 25 feet over 2+ miles). I tried to distract myself by reading the various Shamrock-themed signs along the road, but eventually got annoyed and just focused on running tall.

It was somewhere around this point where I panicked a bit. As we curved back through the military base, the wind seemed to be directly in our face. Always. And it seemingly stayed this way for the next 3 miles. I tried to calm myself and just run. Got passed by two runners, but also picked off half dozen or so.  Pace stayed mostly constant at 6:27, 6:34 and 6:29. The wind died down at mile 9 for good due to good protection from the coast. In fact, we probably had a slight tailwind as it was supposed to be a NE wind. But I didn’t notice…my worldly perception had narrowed significantly at this point. Pace was about the same in mile 10 (6:26).

Mark’s advice was to run conservatively though 10, and then race the last 5K. So, being right on target and with the wind no longer a concern, I consciously tried to pick it up. I kept focusing on the runner just ahead of me, and tried to reel each in, and so on. Over the last 5K, got passed by 2, and picked off 10+. Pace was 6:14 and 6:18 in miles 11 and 12. The race finishes on the boardwalk, which means you have to run a single block dead-on towards the ocean, which quickly reminded me how windy it was out there. Ugg! But now running along the coast, I just focused on running as hard and smooth as I could over the last 0.5 mile. Mile 13 = 6:13 and the last tenth in 43 sec. Goal achieved!

Final time = 1:24:39 (pace = 6:27).

Oh, and Lauren ran the 8K on Saturday. She ran great…negative split the course, and finished in 39:35 (for sub 8 min pace). Plus she looked great in her Irish-themed clothing.

Postscript. The schwag at this year’s Shamrock was the best yet. The race technical shirt is freak’n cool, as are the finishers’ medal, hat and long-sleeve t-shirt. Unfortunately, I still haven’t participated in the post-race bash, but it’s supposed to be a blast. Next year. I strongly recommend this race for a fun half-marathon weekend. Just make sure that they turn the wind down.