Kaohsiung 2012 Half-Marathon (23km)

spoonerweb

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Sep 6, 2010
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813高雄市左營區文府路178巷
I will be running the Kaohsiung Half-Marathon (advertised as a half, but actually 23km) tomorrow. I have ran only one or two other half marathons before, most of my training is for the full marathon. My goal pace is to run what I am planning to run for pace for the Bayshore Marathon - 3:40/km. So I am hoping of finishing the 23km race in 1:24:20. I was able to hit that pace for 1km a couple days ago during a training run and I was also able to run the actual course (something I have never been able to do before) with a 3:48/km pace a few weeks ago. There are many things about this race that are totally different from any other race I have run, so I don't feel the same about this race and it is kind of messing with my thinking for this race.
 
Finished in 1:30:4816th

Finished in 1:30:48

16th overall and 1st in my age group.

About a month ago, I had to dodge a scooter that decided to stop right in front of me while I was running and I stepped down kind of strange. Since then, once in a while during a run I will start to feel some pain with a little swelling later on near the heel and arch area on my left foot. I did a short warm up to the race start and felt the area tense up a bit and so I had pain in that area even before the start until the finish. So even though I didn't make the goal I wanted, I am still happy with the time. It still has given me confidence in getting 2:40 at Bayhsore in May as long as I don't experience the pain again.
 
Great time! Did running the

Great time! Did running the course before the race help?

I hope your injury completly heals before Bayshore.
 
I'm sorry about that

I'm sorry about that unfortunate incident, Spooner. That bites. Glad you are still able to run though. That's still a great finishing time. Most people can't even get under 4 hours, let alone 3.
 
Running the course before the

Running the course before the race did help. I knew what turns I had to take, where and how big the hills were, and about how close I was to the actual finish. The two things that it didn't help me with was the start and finish. The marathoners started 20min before the half and at the 2km mark there is a tunnel that would make everyone slow down because of the amount of people that would need to go through it. I wasn't sure if all the marathoners (walkers) would be cleared out of the tunnel by then, but they were for the most part. The finish was totally different than I was expecting. I knew the finish line was in the stadium and the map showed about 1/3 of a lap on the track. However, I had never been in the stadium before and didn't realize that it was actually sunk into the ground. So when I went to enter the stadium, I was expecting to just head around the track. Instead, we went down a rather steep tunnel (I was glad I wasn't running the marathon) and onto some sort of carpet covered (strange running on that) wood platform that kind of bounced. Then there was a small hill to get up to the track.

I am doing some form work now until the foot completely heals. So short runs, but I am going out on bike rides to try to not lose any fitness.