Your favorite Examiner at the start of the 2009 SunTrust National Half Marathon.
I just completed my post-race survey for the SunTrust National Half Marathon, which I ran for the first time this year on March 21. I thought I'd share my thoughts about the race with you all as well, as the race course makes for a great long-run route, with a Metro stop every mile or so.
The route starts at RFK Stadium in downtown DC (right on top of the Stadium/Armory Metro stop). It then passes the Capitol, the Washington Monument and lots of pretty neighborhoods, making the first few miles slip by easily.
Starting at about mile four, the course cuts through vibrant, interesting neighborhoods like Adams Morgan, where spectators and the beauty of the city itself will provide a much-needed boost: The hills here will eat your quads alive! The race brochure dubs this part of the course the "Kalorama Climb," which strikes me as way too cutesy a term for a hill that mean. But in a testament to a well-planned course, this didn't seem to affect anyone's time, at least among the runners I spoke with. Plus, once the hills are done, runners are treated to a gentle descent, and to the sight of the Capitol dome looming ahead of them.
Those using the course for a long-run route will find a few lonely miles in the middle. Not so on race day, when spectators line even the most desolate parts. My favorites were the dudes at Howard University, who were blasting Dr. Dre and shouting words of encouragement to everyone who passed.
The race featured an awesome expo with lots of great freebies, a cool technical T-shirt and a nice finisher's medal. We enjoyed perfect weather — cold at the start, chilly but no wind throughout. It was also an unexpectedly fast course, judging by the number of runners I know who PRed that day.
The aid stations were well-stocked when I got there, but it's worth noting that a few friends who finished in the 10 to 11-minute-mile range said they had trouble finding water.
My sole complaint: I set out with the 8:23-minute-mile pace group led by the Naval Academy Marathon Pace Team, and was instantly dismayed to note how tired I felt — until we passed the two-mile mark in about 16 minutes. "We’d better pull back a little," one pacer said to another. You think? They took the next mile slower, but I still lost the pacer’s orange balloon somewhere after the first big hill.
I didn’t realize until I saw my pace breakdown — 8:20-minute miles — that I realized they must have been really, really fast. Not sure when they finished, or whether it threw anyone else off, but it provided a mild annoyance for a mile or two.
Bottom line: I finished this past year's race in 1:49:19, which was my “it would be cool if” goal -- the time I knew I could do if I had perfect race conditions. Luckily, I did.
The 2010 SunTrust National Marathon and Half Marathon will be on Saturday March 20. Online registration will begin on the Fourth of July. I'll be among the first to sign up.
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