National Capital Race Weekend

I have completed my Half Marathon race. It was nice and cool in the morning which is what you would want, but then it got hotter and hotter which is not what you are hoping for. I met with my group of runners and got a few "team pics" taken before the race since we may not see each other by the end. We made our way into the corrals to get set for the gun to go off. There were about 9000 participants in the Half Marathon. I started off well trying to get my nerves out, although I do have to admit I went faster than I should have for the beginning of a race. My plan was to go at about a 5:15 pace for about the first 20 minutes and then take a 1 minute walk then I would run a bit faster at a 4:57 pace for 10 minutes and walk for 1 minute all the way to the finish line. The race had quite a few hills in it which I went at a fast pace to get up it and then found I didn't have much in me when I got to the top to continue at that speed.

There were lots of water stations along the way, usually I avoid them to try and get past the other runners but I found I stopped long enough to take a cup of water to dump on my head and cool me off a bit. We did have sprinklers and sponges but not until the 15km mark of the race.
I didn't have much in me near the end of the race but I still managed to push it the last little bit and I finished with a time of 1:49:06. I am quite happy with this time as it is also a personal best for me. I was a little worried about making it because I find it tougher running in the heat rather than the winter, and I am glad I didn't pass out and was able to walk on my own at the end. There were a lot of people passed out along the race route. I was the 294th female to finish out of 4742 and the 59th out 760 in my age/sex category.