Pine Belt Pacers Forum

Hello Pacers,

For anyone who plans to run the half (or a 5K) I wanted to remind you to hydrate well. It's going to be unusually hot this weekend. I checked the accuweather website and it says:

73-79 degrees between 6 am and 9 am

Real feel - which factors in the humidity - 77-90 degrees between 6am and
9 am

Scary! My time is getting slower and slower, but it will be fun anyway.

I am planning on the half as well and the weather has me a little worried. This is the time of year that the heat gets to me. The tempertures are starting to get really hot and most people haven't become truly aclimated yet. The secret will be to drink more than you think you need.

Speaking of the race, does anyone know if there are showers available post-run? I emailed the staff via the website, but haven't received an answer. It would be nice to shower off before heading home.

I ran this race last year and it was my first half-marathon and this year it will be my second half.. I really enjoyed it but I don't have anything to compare it too. But to answer you question John, Last year there was NOT any showers availble post race.

Thanks Clint. I didn't think there would be. I was planning on staying with a friend outside Jackson rather than renting a hotel so I guess I either drive back to the friends or towel off and be thankful for leather seats.

In addition to hydrating very well, I will be adjusting my goal time. I have already slowed it from my first goal of 8:45 (pace from 2008) to 9:00, but now I am trying to decide whether I need to adjust even more. I am not sure what the temp was last year, but I think it was cooler last year than it will be this year. Still deciding, but I definitely will not be going out at my original 8:45 goal. It will be between 9:00 and 9:15, and hope for the best in maintaining that pace.

Looking forward to the challenge.

JohnH wrote:I am planning on the half as well and the weather has me a little worried. This is the time of year that the heat gets to me. The tempertures are starting to get really hot and most people haven't become truly aclimated yet. The secret will be to drink more than you think you need.

Speaking of the race, does anyone know if there are showers available post-run? I emailed the staff via the website, but haven't received an answer. It would be nice to shower off before heading home.

John, there are fountains and a pond at the finsh line, Renissance Outdoor Mall! But seriously, to freshen up before the ride home, I use baby wipes and water to "wash up" before changing into some fresh and dry clothes. Also, it is helpful to use some baby powder to absorb extra moisture before getting dressed.

I'm so worried about all of you running the half marathon tomorrow under this hot weather that I am planning to share that feeling! Therefore, I will also carbo load and hydrate very well with some Gatorade-OH.... tonight!

zeusrun wrote:John, there are fountains and a pond at the finsh line, Renissance Outdoor Mall! But seriously, to freshen up before the ride home, I use baby wipes and water to "wash up" before changing into some fresh and dry clothes. Also, it is helpful to use some baby powder to absorb extra moisture before getting dressed.

Thanks ! I went ahead and bit the bullet and got a room at the Hyatt. I'll get to shower and rest a little more since the race starts near here.

Mr. Murphy did bite me when I got here though. My Garmin 305, that worked this morning, died. It wouldn't even register that it was charging. I've had it two years and rely on it for pacing pretty heavily. Pace is going to be big tomorrow with the heat, so I am now the owner of a brand new Garmin 405 courtesy of Fleet Fett and my debit card. Oh well. the good news is there's a $50 rebate this month.

Good luck to everyone tomorrow. Run hard and be safe. Gotta go, the bathroom calls. All this water weighs a heavy toll.

I am so jazzed, Charles can hardly stand me!! This is the best I have ever felt on a long run, because, I stuck to the program. This was to be used as a training run for distance, so according to the the plan, I was to run the first 4 at about 9:00, then the next 5 at 8:10, then the last part, 4.1 at 9:00. Ginny kept me on pace for the first 4. It was so difficult to hold back. My typical pattern is to run as hard as I can for as long as I can. I felt pretty good, but in my head, I wasn't sure how my body would respond when I needed to crank up!! My garmin wasn't set right, so I wasn't sure how I was going to guage my faster part of the run. When I took off, I could hear Ginny saying, "too fast", still too fast!! I calmed down, and just tried to settle into a faster paced rhythm. It was amazing how good and easy I felt!! I was passing everyone!! I never pass anyone at the point in a longer run!! Usually, I am just trying to hold on, and getting passed by everyone. I was tempted to push on past the 9 mile, but told myself to stick to the plan. I slowed down and still felt pretty good, even after running a pretty brisk 5 miles (Charles calculated that I ran it about 8:00 per mile) . At this point, the devil was close by tempting me to push. This gal was running pretty close to my heels. I mean, look, we weren't in a pack, so this was just annoying. I kept thinking if I just pick it back up a notch, I could lose her. So, I made a deal with myself. At mile 12, if she is still that close, I could pick it up for the last mile. She slowed at mile 12 to get the last water, and I took off!! She fell behind, and I finished with a PR!! Even with the course being long, 13.4, to be exact!! All in all, the best long distance run I have ever had in my life.

The moral of the story? Terry/Ginny/Becky, all of you are right!! Training smart, sticking to the plan, really works!! I gained a lot of confidence in myself, and feel like Terry's plan is really making me a better runner. Thanks Terry!! Thanks Ginny!! You were a terrific room mate and car companion. Thanks for all your encouragment and helping me stay on track.

There were tons of Pacers out there, just as jazzed as me!! Jen Torres had a great run, this was her first, and a great PR!! Karen ran, John H. had a PR, Jodi L. had a PR, Diane C. ran with Jodi, (both super fast). I met some new Pacers, and saw lots of Pacers on the course! I know I am leaving some people out, lots of details out, but for now, I am truly, well, just too excited, too jazzed, to think straight!!

So excited for so many pacers today. I think everyone that we talked to had a good or great race today and even with the heat, these pacers didn't "sweat it" they came to race.

(except me - boo hoo) (poor pitiful thing. - as my sister-in-law would say "God love it.") Ha Ha Really, I'm good. Many walkers today, I am thinking that might be my new hobby, not race walking either, just friendship walking, now that looks fun. Hee Hee

It was nice to be able to share in the goals achieved, enthusiasm, great emotion, etc.

Jen - way to go girl, so proud of you. Nice to be there just after you finished your first half. Huge achievement - checked off! PR!

Audrey - what can I say - "Girl, you've go it going on girl! Sooooo proud of you for sticking with the plan. I really wasn't sure you would "stick with me" for the first few slow miles. So glad that Terry's plan, "worked like a charm" for ya. Now, you will be moving on to much bigger, well faster things. Congrats! I look forward to your journey with distance. It's gonna be a good show to watch. PR! Also, enjoyed the travels - fun trip. Let's do it again!

As Audrey mentioned we met some new pacers this weekend, so that was neat. I am terrible with names, so I will not even try.

Jodi - nice to see you, your friends, and your Mom. So glad you guys had a good race. PR - yah!

Karen - sorry we missed you after the race - I hope you had a good day. Let us know how it went for you. (Also, her first half.)

Results:
http://results.active.com/pages/searchf ... rsID=79369

Half marathon: 1055 finishers -- 5K Run: 422 finishers
Results from some Pine Belt Pacers (congratulations to you all!):

Place -- Name -- Time

88. John Harless 1:49:31
112. Diana Cuy Castellanos 1:52:40
115. Jodie Lee 1:52:41
125. Audrey Jackson 1:53:51 (placed 1st in her age group)
188. Jason Marshall 2:00:01
227. Ginny Dufrene 2:03:02
238. Raland Burks 2:04:00
252. Gary Thornton 2:05:04
381. Brad Ward 2:14:33
392. Melvin Smith 2:15:31
428. Jennifer Torres 2:19:21
735. Karen Lott 2:50:18
779. Erika Miller 2:56:45

Keep in mind that the times that Raul posted are for 13.4 by MANY Garmin's.
(thanks Raul - "you are good") This is really a shame. This is a GREAT race. They made a LOT of money. I hope they will invest some money into someone measuring an accurate course. Ridiculous! (this time, it was not just a tangent thing) (sorry - this is one of my "pet peeves")

Fun day anyway!

Congratulations to all of you who ran the half today. I am especially proud of Jen and Karen as within less than a year, they have moved from barely running to completing a half. Also, Audrey deserves great praise for *finally* sticking with her plan. Jodie L also ran very well.

I hope that this year's 5K training program will bring out some new people who will have as much success as last year's group. Boss Ryder is very proud.

Congratulations to all you 1/2 marathoners! I am completely impressed and proud. You all inspire me - especially Jen and Karen (newbies). Look forward to seeing ya'll at the track on Tuesday.

Congrats to everyone that ran yesterday, especially the first-timers and PR setters. The race was well put on and a nice course. My Garmin measured it as 13.4 as well. I guess I'm glad I used two GU gels instead of one.

My clock time broke my previous PR by eight minutes and if I go by my lap time at 13.1, I shaved 10 minutes. Either way it was a good day. I have been doing some intense leg training at the gym and I could really tell today on the hills.

I saw Audrey at the finish line and I have to say she was as pumped as anyone I've ever seen finishing a race. It was great to see some of the other Pacers and I look forward to becoming more involved with the club.