Notes
Back to where is all started - Bear Cove, Hingham, MA. A much much smaller race than 2018, with only 64 finishers this year. Here's the map https://racewire.com/event_images/tmp/phpAvXZhg_BearCove_Map.fw.png
Off the start found two CMU alumni Josh Kalapos and Jordan Safer and packed up with them for the first 10 miles or so before they broke off. Pace was a bit aggressive, I was looking for 6:30 (and so were they) but we mixed in some sub 6:20s. Honestly, I think 6:30 was in the cards today, but not on this course. Lost them around 10 miles due to the hills which were A LOT worse than I remember them being slowing me down quite a bit, and found myself alone; they would work those and I was slowing down big time on it. I was in 6th place at this point, but found myself in 5th when the guy in 3rd dropped out. I was pretty good through 17ish, but then things got tough, mentally. The hills and the wind, really started to make things suck, and the RCs were killing my toes, but nonetheless I chugged along. Finally found myself coming on to the 3rd lap and found Jordan from earlier, he tried working with me but fell off soon after. Now in 4th. The last 2 miles of this was straight up hill, and while GPS elevation doesn't do it justice it fackin' sucked. Coming down from the hill found the northeastern guy who went out with Everett and passed him. Now in 3rd where I finished.
I am somewhat happy with this. Finding out Baystate was not in the cards for me due to work sent me into a scramble and I wasn't really able to get in any good training other than solid LRs. I think on a flat course with no wind I would have run close to 2:50 which was my goal, but I guess I'll never know. Next time, I need to put some more miles in my shoes before I wear them, the RCs absolutely destroyed my toes, most of them in the process of turning black and I have a nasty blood blister. Hoping I have another go at Boston.
Highlights were: People coming to watch and support me (My Mom, Jaime, and Grant!). Honorable mention was Everett.
As for fueling, I took a gu around 30 min which did not sit well, cramped up good. Had another around an hour and a third around 1:45 maybe. Did not like the Humas at all, felt gross eating them. Mixed in what I thought was a lot of water, some mixed with gatorade, but it was probably only 2 bottles. Still have a lot of work to do on that front.
Prep was pretty good again. Workouts could have prob been better, but I was good about protein power, metamucil, and crushed my hydration game Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Really liked the pedialite sport. Dinner was sweet potato wedges, rice pilaf, and baked zucchini. Woke up at 4:05 AM and had a banana, most of a DD bagel, most of a large, black Cumby's coffee, and a nuun tablet. Helped clean me out (4x before 7 am!). Only really got hungry around 24 miles in but that was prob due to the lack of gus