Mardi Gras Marathon ‘08 February 24, 2008

And it is done. Today I, along with about 2,300 other people, ran in the Mardi Gras Half-Marathon in New Orleans. Having never run more than a 10K race before today, my goal was simply to never stop running and to cross the finish line. Mission accomplished as I finished in two hours and thirteen minutes. That averages out to about a ten minute mile, which is very middle of the pack. I was nervous because I had these visions of my knees giving out at mile 11- luckily they did fine. Unlike the Crescent City Classic in 2006, I was not beaten by a man in a giant fleur-de-lis costume. There is nothing more humbling in a race than losing to a man with rabbit ears and a cape or a middle school cross-country runner who never even broke a sweat. I held my own today and managed to keep a good clip while dodging walkers and spectators the first two miles.

The morning began at 5:30am because I wanted to be able to eat, shower, and stretch with time to spare. I hate having to sprint from the car just to make it to the start line. For maximum protein and carbohydrates I started the morning with a chocolate cookie dough bar and a caramel bar. The nutrition information comes out to 340 calories, 53g of carbohydrates, 13g fat, and 10g of protein. Looking for any extra boost possible, I used two GU Energy Gel packs- one about 15 minutes before the race and one just over the halfway point. They contain a good amount of carbs and caffeine so I think they probably helped a little. I tried the vanilla flavor when I was last hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I thought it tasted like vanilla cake icing and found the mint chocolate chip to be exactly the same. If you decide to use these I recommend you do so just before a water station. The water or Gatorade makes them a little easier to swallow.

I was impressed with the new route for 2008. The race started and ended at the Superdome with an uptown loop followed by a mid-city loop for full marathoners. I especially enjoyed the lap in Audubon Park because it’s where I run regularly and did most of the training for the half-marathon. The half marathon course also included a short run through the French Quarter covering most of Bourbon Street followed by a return to the CBD down Royal Street. From there it was a simple course of following St. Charles Avenue to Audubon Park and back to the Suprdome. The uptown residents and supporting citizens of New Orleans made this special by supporting all of the runners on St. Charles with banners, cheers, and by manning the water stations. The jazz band at the entrance to Audubon Park was also a nice distraction.

Overall it was a great event with great weather. I don’t know if I’ll ever see a full marathon in my future- for now I’ll just concentrate on the fast approaching Crescent City Classic and Azalea Trail Run. Congratulations to all runners today.

Final Time: 2:13:26

Total Distance: 13.1 Miles

Shoes: New Balance 992