Notes
3 weeks before the race I developed pain in my left shin on a 12 mile tempo run through the park. As a result I cut back on my mileage in the 3 weeks leading up to the race. However, I felt good the week before the race and my shin didn't hurt. The morning of the race I felt good and was optimistic. It was a sunny day and although cool at the start it warmed quickly and I wasn't acclimated to the heat. For the first 14 miles I felt great - I was cruising along between 6:45-7:15 pace, just a little quicker than planned. I felt very relaxed and positive about the race. However, at mile 15 we hit a hill and I felt the first twinge of cramps in my left inner thigh. I slowed but tried to remain optimistic. Over the next several miles, though, the cramps got worse, and by mile 21 or mile 22 I ground to a halt. I was forced to walk more and more to keep moving. Unlike usual walking didn't really allow me to recover from the cramps, so when I tried to run again within 30 seconds or so I often had to return to walking. I was focusing on just moving forward without falling. I was REALLY glad to just finish the race.
Although I grabbed at least 1 cup (usually CytoMax) from most water stops I think I did dehydrate. When the race was over I had tons of liquid to drink but it took awhile to quench my thirst and I didn't urinate for a long time. I hadn't worn a shirt during the race and it wasn't very humid, so I think I underestimated how much I lost to sweat.
Since I had so much successful training at 6:45 pace, including 20 mile runs, it's hard to understand why I had so much trouble with this one. I am guessing it bolis down to dehydration and starting too fast. To that end I plan to do a couple things differently. The next time weather is warm and sunny for a race I plan to stop and walk through early water stops to make sure I get plenty to drink. I also plan to average at least 30-45 seconds slower than my tempo pace for the first 10 miles.
1: 6:46
2: 6:48
3: 7:04
4: 7:04
5: 7:10
6: 6:51
7: 7:00
8: 7:09
9: 6:59
10: 6:59
11: 7:10
12: 7:19
13: 7:14
14: 7:03
15: 7:54
16: 7:26
17: 7:49
18: 8:07
19: 8:21
20: 8:09
21: 8:58
22: 10:42
23: 13:39
24: 17:53
25: 15:45
26: 13:23
26.2: 2:25