c*******r
发帖数: 13580 | 1 Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
athlete club.
Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
this sunny weekend.
Saturday morning, I slept in and did a 4 mile jog. After lunch, I hit the
road. It is sunny and warm. Pacific Northwest is usually dominated by chilly
and rainy weather in the winter. We are extremely lucky to have a high
pressure system over the area this weekend. There was some traffic out of
Seattle. By the time I got to Birch Bay, it was about 4:30. I checked in the
hostel. The hostel is a Lion's club project. It's an old building still
under renovation. The hosts are all volunteers. Winter is a down time but
they decided to keep it open since they need to do the renovation work
anyway. There was only a few cars outside the building. I ran into two
Japanese girls who were also running the race. The hostess is an elderly
woman named Linda. She's very friendly and nice. I then took off to drive to
the start line. The view was gorgeous in the dusk. However, I sadly found
that my DSLR camera dead when I took it out to take a picture.
I then drove along the course along the bay. The half course has a stretch
that extends inland. As I drive it, I find it's actually a moderate hill.
The course is not really pancake flat as I originally thought. I am glad I
did the driving so that I know what to expect. After driving the course, I
picked up the race kit at the "expo", which is just a couple of tables, with
one vendor, a local Indian art shop. There is no timing chip, which is a
little surprise, not that it's important though. It's pretty sweet that all
they printed our full names on the bibs. I guess that's the advantage of
small races.
After a teriyaki dinner, I headed back to the hostel and surfed on the
internet for a while. There is a few other runners staying at the hostel but
in general it's very quiet. I chatted a little with a runner from Vancouver
, and did some reading sitting in the bed. Without distraction, I find
myself quite sleepy at 10pm. So I decided to turn off the lights and lay in
bed. I guess I fell asleep quite soon.
2:30 in the morning, I woke up and went to the bathroom. Then I decided it's
a good time to eat something so that I don't have to have a big breakfast.
So I chewed a big bagel and went back to sleep. It later proved that this
strategy works pretty well. 6:30 the alarms went off. I went to the kitchen
to brew some coffee. I have set the coffee machine ready the night before.
To my surprise, the hosts have already got the coffee ready. So I had a
little coffee and a little more bagel, chatted with the Vancouver runner and
his wife, who is also a runner but not running this race.
I get dressed and take off at about 7:10. It's just 10 minutes of driving to
the start line. The state park has plenty of parking, all close to the
start line. There is no cloth check and there is no need. I start by some
very slow jogging in the parking lot and the road. It's about 27F and a
little cold. I am shivering a little on the way to the park. My body starts
to slowly warm up after 10 minutes of jogging. Then I start a few rounds of
striding at 6:30 pace to pump up the heart rate and loosen up the muscles
from cold. The sun is coming out from behind the trees. It's not that cold
anymore under the sun. I take off the jacket, put it in the car, and start
to gather around the start line.
8:00 sharp, we take off, with the escort of a sherif car. We have the whole
road to us so it's not packed at all even in the first mile. After the first
mile, we are able to all run on the shoulder. I find two teenagers setting
a comfortable 7:30-7:40 pace. So I decide to follow them as long as I can. I
have thought a lot about the racing strategy the night before, and can't
decide on a pace. I have only raced one 1/2 before and lots of things have
changed in the past few months. I finally decided to listen to my body and
go with the heart rate instead of pace. My strategy is to start with 160,
gradually increase it to 163-164 half way, maintain at that range in the
latter half, and push through the last mile. I would not follow a pace that
I can't sustain the targetted heart rate, except on the short uphills. I
know I am relatively good at hills, both up and down.
I follow those two young fellows for 2 miles, they take a drink at an aid
station and I decide to pass. They then drop behind a few yards. I am now in
a cruising mode and feel extremely comfortable. After another couple miles,
the courses split. The 1/2 course starts a hardly noticeable long uphill,
followed by a moderate uphill. With the knowledge of the course, I feel very
comfortable to drop the pace a little, and gradually pump up heart rate to
about 170 at the end of the hills. Mile 6 and 7 I did 7:38 and 8:07, which
are pretty much what I expected. Another half a mile, I'm on the top of the
hill, which is a 180 degree turn around point. There is an aid station. It's
slightly passed 7.5 miles. I figure since I need to slow down to turn
around anyway, why not get a drink now so that it'll last all the way to the
finish. So I take a cup of Gatorade and turn around. I have almost caught
up with the lady in front of me on the uphill. Now on the downhill, I easily
catch up with her. When I pass her, I tell her "it's all down hill from
here". She says "I hope so!". I zoomed by the downhill part and did mile 9
in 6:45. By now, I know for certain I can break 1:39, just a matter of how
much.
A little before mile 9, we get back to the water front. It's going to be all
flat from here. The wind has picked up a little bit but it wasn't bothering
me on the downhill. Now it's becoming a little annoying. Fortunately the
wind died down soon. Now I am running in the mid morning sun by the Pacific
ocean, with great views 360 degrees around. How can a race be more
comfortable!? Now I have 4 runners in my sight in distance. Judging from
their form and pace, I can tell they are getting tired. I am quite confident
that I can at least catch up with them before the finish line. The next
mile, I adjust my breathing a little and get comfortable. Now I am a little
closer. With less than 3 miles to go, and I know it's all flat, I know it's
time to speed up a little and get ready for the final push. Mile 12, I did
in 7:11, which is hard at this point, but I still feel good, my heard rate
isn't even that high. Now I have easily passed two runners. Soon I passed
another one and I am very close to the last one. He's tall, slim, in his 30'
s. Two girls, apprently his daughters are riding in a car with their mom
along the road, cheering for him. And that's very helpful for me too. I give
it a little push and finally pass him. In my training, I have often dashed
through the last mile in a long or easy run. That has helped me a lot
mentally, if not physically as well. I know how much my body can take after
12 miles. That gives me the confidence I need to push through. I take a
final look at my GPS and it shows a 6:40 pace. I know I can do a little
faster, but not too much. I speed up a little and sprint towards the finish
line, which is already in sight. It is a blur when I corss the line. I know
the time is a few seconds after 1:37. I take the medal from the volunteer
and start panting. Knowing that I have shaved almost 6 minutes from my first
1/2 marathon, I am really happy that the 3 months of training has paid off,
even if this course is flatter than the previous one.
Tired but satisfied, I return to the hostel and take a shower. The
hospitable hosts have made some pancakes. But I have had a couple of bars
and an apple so I decide to pass. Michael, the Vancouver runner and his wife
are also back. We said farewell to each other and I departed. It's a
beautiful day with Mt Baker in the view on my way back. Life is so good as
long as I am running. My quote of the day: racing is easy, training is hard.
Signing up a race can be the result of an emotional rush. However, going
through all the training needs strong perseverance and dedication. The
latter part is what distinguishes runners apart. | m**k
发帖数: 18660 | 2 Very well done half and very nice report! You,deserve it!
the
be
on
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| w****1
发帖数: 4931 | 3 You are getting serious with running, man. Congratulations!
the
be
on
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| d****i
发帖数: 4354 | 4 不错啊,有没打算跑全麻?还是已经跑过了?
the
be
on
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| T****a
发帖数: 4651 | 5 CONG! What a race for you, all that high mileage training paid off. | T****a
发帖数: 4651 | 6 CONG! What a race for you, all that high mileage training paid off. | m**k
发帖数: 18660 | 7 virgin marathon is yet to come lol
【在 d****i 的大作中提到】
: 不错啊,有没打算跑全麻?还是已经跑过了?
:
: the
: be
: on
| c*******r
发帖数: 13580 | 8 my first marathon will be in June. this half race will serve as a check
point to lay out a rough training plan. I have exactly 18 weeks to go.
【在 d****i 的大作中提到】
: 不错啊,有没打算跑全麻?还是已经跑过了?
:
: the
: be
: on
| b***i
发帖数: 10018 | 9 congrats on your PR! what's next? | c*******r
发帖数: 13580 | 10 I have another 1/2 in 1 month. Since I did pretty well in this one, I am not
expecting to go all out in the next one. I should probably be focusing on
the full marathon in June. I am getting a little nervous. Longest run I have
done so far is 16 miles.
【在 b***i 的大作中提到】
: congrats on your PR! what's next?
| | | R*****s
发帖数: 41236 | 11 veli nice! waiting for your exciting first FM result..
the
be
on
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| f*******g
发帖数: 3304 | 12 你的平头是否也帮助SHAVE 了一分钟啊？ 哈哈
祝贺PR!
the
...............
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| c*******r
发帖数: 13580 | 13 good point! 下次要剃光
【在 f*******g 的大作中提到】
: 你的平头是否也帮助SHAVE 了一分钟啊？ 哈哈
: 祝贺PR!
:
: the
: ...............
| f*******g
发帖数: 3304 | 14 好啊 每快一点 剃短一点
觉得我们这个年纪 从1：37 到 1：30 不是太难， 在往下就难了
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: good point! 下次要剃光
| c*********n
发帖数: 2120 | 15 I think you have enjoyed every tiny bit of the race-:)
Congratulations!
the
be
on
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| t**h
发帖数: 229 | 16 Very detailed race report. ZAN!
The weather was pretty nice in last weekend in NW. I did a 17m run on
Sunday and felt easier with the sea breeze. | g********s
发帖数: 1969 | 17 Congratulations to PR!
Thanks for sharing the report! | c*******r
发帖数: 13580 | 18 are you in Vancoucer? you should come to run this race too next year. it's
fantastic!
【在 t**h 的大作中提到】
: Very detailed race report. ZAN!
: The weather was pretty nice in last weekend in NW. I did a 17m run on
: Sunday and felt easier with the sea breeze.
| y******n
发帖数: 4527 | 19 What a finish. Congratulations.
Hard work paid off. That is always true.
the
be
on
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| s***g
发帖数: 1250 | 20 很快啊！
the
be
on
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| | | b********k
发帖数: 427 | 21 写得很详细，赞。
恭喜出色完成半马！
the
be
on
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| w********6
发帖数: 12977 | 22 congrats! you certainly can star and maintain a higher pace, say, 7:20min,
given your strong finish | t**h
发帖数: 229 | 23 yes. I am in Vancouver. I am training for the Vancouver Marathon now. I
will definitely consider this one next
year.
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: are you in Vancoucer? you should come to run this race too next year. it's
: fantastic!
| c*******r
发帖数: 13580 | 24 en, that's what I suspected. I was a little conservative. thanks for the
suggestion.
【在 w********6 的大作中提到】
: congrats! you certainly can star and maintain a higher pace, say, 7:20min,
: given your strong finish
| f******6
发帖数: 723 | 25 Congratulations on your PR! | d*********6
发帖数: 6115 | 26 最近用你的训练记录作为范例。教育了某位训练初马的同学。
the
be
on
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| m**k
发帖数: 18660 | 27 不要给某位同学压力。主要还是要enjoy the fun.
不是we have to run.
而是we choose to run
【在 d*********6 的大作中提到】
: 最近用你的训练记录作为范例。教育了某位训练初马的同学。
:
: the
: be
: on
| d*********6
发帖数: 6115 | 28 哈哈，
发现哥还没报名。
赶紧赶紧：）
【在 m**k 的大作中提到】
: 不要给某位同学压力。主要还是要enjoy the fun.
: 不是we have to run.
: 而是we choose to run
| S*********g
发帖数: 7653 | | i*********5
发帖数: 19210 | 30 Congratulations, 桶桶, on your big PR!
A beautiful course supplemented with a beautiful race report! Nicely done!
【在 c*******r 的大作中提到】
: Race report - Birch Bay 1/2 Marathon
: Birch Bay is a small retirement town located at the US-Canada boarder on the
: Pacific coast. Vancouver is on the north side of the bay. Victoria, the
: capitol of BC, is on the southwest across the bay and small islands.
: The race is a low profile local one, limited to 450 runners including 1/2
: and full runners. It is usually not filled. It's organized by a local
: athlete club.
: Our start line is in Birch Bay State Park. Buildings of Richmond, BC can be
: seen from the bay on a clear day. The northeast side of the skyline is
: dominated by snow capped peaks in Canadian Cascades. The view is stunning on
| | | w*****h
发帖数: 1770 | |
|
