2008 Kaiser Half Marathon

I woke up at 5:20 for the big race.

Although I got completely lost on my way to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, I managed to arrive an hour before the start. I found a great parking spot and hopped on the bus to the startline.

I didn't have my bib# so I quickly got it at will-call, hit the portapotty, and bagged and checked my sweat pants/jacket. I tried something new this race. I got an LG8250 cellphone which has MP3 playback so I ran the headphones from my ear down my arm and to the phone in a plastic bag in my glove. I was suprised it worked so well although I wondered during the race if my arms were getting tired of the extra 8 oz. weight. Now that I think about that ridiculous thought, I'm sure I was tired from just running my ass off in the pouring rain with a butal headwind.

The race started in fair weather, light drizzle and made a slight improvement for the first 5 miles but at mile 6 there was some rain, then another splash of sunshine and tailwind before the Great Highway turnabout with a monster headwind and pouring rain. Man that sucked but of all things, I thought of my after-workout icebaths and realized I'd survive the cold as long as I kept moving. Of course, the final 400 meter uphill climb to the finish line didn't brighten my day any but I'm pleased with my finish time given my spotty training schedule the last 2 weeks.

Business: 13.1 miles at 7:17 pace (1:35:28).

Official Results
Place	Name	City	Bib No	Age	Age Group	Time	Pace
400	Christopher Rumble	Dublin CA	6657	34	60 M 30-34	1:35:28	7:17/M

Splits are as follows:
Mile 1: 8:19 (0:08:19), 164 bpm - No chip timing & 49 sec. to cross the start line.
Mile 2: 7:30 (0:15:49), 164 bpm - Running with Chris Chung looking for a 7:40 pace.
Mile 3: 7:27 (0:23:17), 174 bpm - Feeling a little winded as we head up Fulton.
Mile 4: 7:23 (0:30:40), 173 bpm - Some downhills recharge my legs.
Mile 5: 7:12 (0:37:53), 173 bpm - I'm officially warmed up.
Mile 6: 6:43 (0:44:36), 174 bpm - More downhill and I pass coach at the waterstop.
Mile 7: 6:54 (0:51:31), 177 bpm - Rolling hills to Great Highway.
Mile 8: 6:56 (0:58:28), 175 bpm - Strong headwind turns to a sideways tailwind.
Mile 9: 7:04 (1:04:14), 175 bpm - Approaching the turnabout I see Sergio and Michael.
Mile 10: 6:26 (1:11:58), 177 bpm - Heading back it begins to pour down rain.
Mile 11: 7:52 (1:19:51), 180 bpm - Enjoying a nice sideways headwind from the ocean.
Mile 12: 7:34 (1:27:26), 180 bpm - I know I'm close to the finish and my legs know it too.
Mile 13: 6:30 (1:33:56), 183 bpm - Chasing someone to the hill.
Mile 13.1: 7:40 (1:35:28), 186 bpm - To hell with my heart rate.

End-of-Week Summary:



Gut-check
Breakfast: 2 bananas, 2 Gus.
Lunch: Water, 32 oz. lemonade, 2 chicken filets, salad w/ bleu cheese, french fries.
Dinner: Ribs, macaroni&cheese, carrots.

Congratulations to everyone who ran today.

=RUMBLE