Hyannis Half-marathon by Matt Rabasco
On February 26, 2012, it was a cool 41° with wind chills of 26.° (Tip #1: dress appropriately for the weather; being too cold will cause you to lose energy from shivering, being too warm will cause you to lose energy from too much sweat. This is especially important with longer distances). I went down to the hotel's free breakfast and chose only a banana (tip #2: make sure to get some type of fuel 1-3 hours before the race). I was packed tight up front with the seven minute pace group, the siren went off and so did I. (tip #3: make sure you know your pace or else you will be stuck in a pack that is not your pace, once in a pack it’s not easy to get out). I sped past some people wondering what my pace was (tip #4: I recommend running with a watch for the longer distances, but don’t look at your watch every mile) and asked someone finally and they told me a 6:35 pace so I was thinking about slowing down a little bit but kept on strong. (Tip #5: If you feel the need for water get it from the closest water station, even when its cold your body is still losing water from sweat). I held my pace for the whole race and finished with a time of 1:26:04, finishing 73rd over-all and second for my age group. (Tip #6: make a goal and achieve it, it feels so much better in the end knowing what you’re doing this for).
Race Results: http://is.gd/pZZozK
