Notes
about a 10 minute pr over last weekend's best at 21.1...15 minutes better than last year's event.
This is the first time I have entered a race with a strong 'race' mentality - I really was trying hard to hit a specific goal and I knew it would be hard to achieve.
I set my 'coach' on ismoothrun for a 4:30 k/min pace with updates every minute. got about 40 seconds ahead of pace near willows beach and slowly gave it all back and about 45 seconds more by the finish.
Felt pretty good at the starting line - had a good run last weekend and took the week easy with just 2 runs - flatliners 800 repeats on Monday and frontrunners fartlek's on Wednesday. the Boston group really changed my perspective on what I could do and Hicham's comments about going out hard and not being afraid to fail kept going through my mind through the week.
up to the night before I had been aiming for a 4:40-4:45 pace target, but woke up raceday feeling good and figured it was time to see if I could hit a 1:35 which is what I need to hit a 3:20...
weather was perfect, cool, no rain, a little wind, but not much. started the race off with Doran and he gave me a reminder to run the tangents that made me pass about 50 people over the course of the race, just incredible how many people take the long way around the course.
no visiting during the race, just kept my head down and tried to keep a get'r'dun attitude, started to feel challenged a few times
13k - had to look strong for Deb and that helped me pass 2 people that I had been chasing for a long time
15k - looking at the dallas road hills, started to doubt myself, but just gritted it out - matt gave me a boost at memorial
17k - maho delivered some water - amazing how seeing people you know just gives you a kick
love the downhill sections of the course, able to just let go and coast down the hills early on to put some time in the bank and not have to work too hard doing it.
the last 3k were tough, tried to track down a couple of people in front of me, but just couldn't pull it off.
young kid behind me almost caught me, but I was able to hold him off. heard the announcer mention the age difference of 30 years at the finish line :)...I feel old.
several times during the race, I could swear I heard Colleen's footsteps coming up on me and everytime I sped up considerably :)
quite a few times during the race, I thought about the tough run I had to Sydney and how I was able to manage through it. Ian's advice to stay loose, keep my head up and drive the bus kept coming up.
left hip was a problem all the way through the run, but never really got to the point of slowing me down. off to chiro and massage next week to deal with that.
according to strava, I set new records for
1 mile 6:39
2 mile 13:40
5k 21:35
10k 44:15
15k 1:06:52
10 miles 1:11:56
20k 1:29:55
1/2 marathon 1:34:56
not sure I had much more to give today - that was about it - onward.
oh yeah, one more thing...hit the bathrooms before the race next time - your bladder with thank you.