Great job!  Can't imagine racing 15 in those conditions.

That's a nice run and a nice report.

I can always grab some knowledge from your reports and this one is no exception.

Now, if I just had some of that speed!

George - I do think the idea of holding back a bit was why I didn't crash like last year.  You can see the huge fade I had last year in the final miles and I didn't replicate that disaster this year.  Should I have held back even more?  I don't know.  Maybe next year I really will try to run the first couple of miles around a 7:00 pace just to see if I'm able to make up for that time in the flat 7 mile stretch to the finish.

D - Thanks.  I'm pleased.

Meaghan - I think the thing I'm most please about was my ability to maintain a good pace in the last five miles.  In Mile 12, I ran into some very strong headwinds and the guy who came in just in front of me said it slowed him down about 10 or 15 seconds as well.  There's a bit of a hill in Mile 14 so that one is a bit slower as well but other than that, I kept roughly a 6:50 pace going and that's what I need to break 3:00 in November so I am cautiously optimistic.

Lily - I meant to post, "I drank Gatorade" but somehow my keyboard typed in an unwanted "have."  Not sure what the hell happened.

Scap - I like the splits comparison as well.  Good data.

B-Plus - Sort of like, "I don't have a drinking problem; I drink, I get drunk, I fall down.  No problem."  

Lilac - That chafing is the weirdest thing ever.  I have been running for over five years in all kinds of weather and have never, ever experienced any problem like that before.

Kiwi - Thanks.  I'm pleased with the awards but, just to keep my head from getting too big, I got beaten by the guy who took first in the 55-59 AG and by the guy who took first in the 60-64 AG.

Mike - Terrific pics of the race.  Those do a decent job of conveying just how difficult that climb is.  I think the worst part about it is that it is relentless.  On most climbs, there's a climb and a flat and a climb and a flat but this just goes on and on and on and it doesn't flatten out.

Ric - I try to make every race a learning experience.  Writing a long race report is one of the things that really helps me to learn the lessons of each race.

Hog - Yeah, I'm not sure why I was a bit slower at Mile 7 other than the fact that last year I was really struggling through the whole race and may have been pushing at that point and this year I was running well and tried to relax.

Redrum - The weather can make for a tough race, that is for sure.

Granite - Thanks.

LRB - I never noticed the damn chafing until I was finished.  I felt some kind of irritation where my running shorts liner touches my left sack about an hour after I was done.  My initial thought was that a piece of elastic was hanging loose or something like that but it turned out to be plain ol' chafing.  Quite unpleasant in the shower I might add.

Tom - Thanks.  I try to learn from other folks race reports as well.

Jay - I'm really pleased with how I finished this race.  My fastest mile was the last and that's not easy to do in a long race.

My race recovery yesterday consisted of walking around the Columbus Zoo all day.  Usually, I can walk around all day and not get even the slightest bit tired.  This time, I was looking for every opportunity I could find to sit down and rest for a few minutes.

Today, my legs feel better than they have ever felt this soon after a long race.  I noticed how good I felt within an hour of finishing.  I'm not sure why I feel so good.  My best guess is that the heat forced me to run slower than I otherwise could have and while I did run an all out aerobic effort the slower pace wasn't as hard on my muscles and joints.  I remember having a bad half marathon once and my pace was about 15 seconds slower per mile than I had hoped.  Usually, it takes me two weeks to recover from a half marathon but I felt fine a few days after that one.  I feel the same way now except that in this case, I do think I ran a good race.

George - I do think the idea of holding back a bit was why I didn't crash like last year.  You can see the huge fade I had last year in the final miles and I didn't replicate that disaster this year.  Should I have held back even more?  I don't know.  Maybe next year I really will try to run the first couple of miles around a 7:00 pace just to see if I'm able to make up for that time in the flat 7 mile stretch to the finish.

 

Brad, I don't know that you need to deliberately hang back that much. I think you may have found the right formula this year looking at your splits and how the race developed.

Wow, you were 50 seconds faster on mile 14 compared to last year, and still had your fastest mile of the race coming up!  Sounds like you have a good fall racing season ahead of you!

Hey, those pics that Moth put up ... I can't remember if I am remembering those pics or ones that you have put up before. But once again I'm amazed that you guys are racing this right on the highway so close to traffic.

Better keep recovering and get at that drinking problem 

Hey, those pics that Moth put up ... I can't remember if I am remembering those pics or ones that you have put up before. But once again I'm amazed that you guys are racing this right on the highway so close to traffic.

 

Better keep recovering and get at that drinking problem 

Fortunately, the police have the cars traveling at a reduced rate of speed. Going up that hill the cars on your right are the last thing on your mind. More like when and where the hell does this hill end?!

Congrats! That was a great race for those tough conditions.