Notes
Okay - what a crazy couple of weeks. Everything seemed to be wrong going into this. And I think mentally I played it up a bit just to remove any expectations I might have for myself.
Morning: I got up at 4:50 and did a 10 minute shakeout with Boots. Got home and showered then ate 2 packets of oatmeal. At 6am I at a chocalate Stinger Gel with caffeine. At 6:20 I biked down to Lafayette then jogged to the start. I didn't really warm up other than that. I was feeling a bit full still and my stomach wasn't quite settled from breakfast and then gel, so just figured I'd clear it up with water. I didn't really do any strides either.
I decided to hang back on the first mile and it was definitely the right thing to do. The front group went out super slow and I was happy to not get sucked into their race. I was right with Scott and Mike and was surprised at how slow the leaders had gone out. Both groups picked it up quite a bit. My stomach was still feeling pretty ugh and so I kept taking water at the stops. Scott and I traded off until mile 4 when I went to grab the elite water and got the wrong one so had to run back to put it back on the table. That was my 5:36. The rest of the belt line was a breeze. I caught up to Scott at 7 and had social hour. I don't really know why that split was so slow. Once I saw it bid him farewell and got back on track. It helped that John S-G was right ahead of me. Going back through Church St was awesome and all the water had helped calm my stomach a bit.
I finally got my elite fluid at Church St and it was a great mix. I used the Nuun Plus, one tab in each bottle, filled about 2/5 of the way up. I didn't wind up drink all of it each time so that could be something to think about for next time. I was just rolling at that point and feeling great - none of the lame legs from the past couple of weeks. None of the doubt from the last couple of years. Felt so good on Pine St to start seeing friends.
I passed a couple of people in that back loop on S Cove and that helped me feel stronger. Came through the half somewhere under 1:13. I was feeling so strong at that point and knew I was going to negative split. I kept telling myself relax, be patient. I didn't want my enthusiasm to get the best of me. I hit a 5:20 coming up Pine and was all smiles going up Battery. It was definitely a tough point in the race, but coming out of it at the top it only took a couple of strides for the strain to go away and I was back in action. By the high school I could see Tommy K had dropped off the lead pack and I was going to catch him. I kept my focus on steadily working my way up on him. When I went by him I didn't want him to even think he could hang with me and I dropped a 5:19.
I came out of Lakeside feeling so happy and light and smooth and the course was so familiar. Mark pulled up next to me on a bike and I said "I'm feeling so fucking good! This is a great day!" Mile 20 I could feel the first whispers of doubt creep into my legs. I had been running great through that point and it was more of a "This is tiring and I'm now feeling 20 miles of running" more than a "Uh oh, I'm about to hit the wall."
At that point I had settled into a slower pace than I would have preferred. I had been taking water at each stop and it was getting pretty hot out. I had taken a goo at 11 and again at 19. My stomach was going back and forth between crampy and fine. Luckily fine ruled the day. To keep it there I didn't take any water on the bike path, but did get my elite fluids.
About mile 23 I could see David as a dot in the distance. I knew I was going to catch him as he must've dropped off pace quite a lot if I could see him. I passed him at the RP bridge and was feeling soooo smooth. I didn't want to push too hard as I was teetering right on the edge of what I could handle.
And when I passed the RP folks at North Beach I just lost it. I was so stoked on my race and it was so joyous. I threw my hands up. At 25.5 my legs were pretty much at the end. I knew I was locked in for 3rd and just wanted to celebrate. I was so moved running that last half mile stretch. I think I celebrated a bit too early. I threw my hands up again and was coasting to the finish. I got kind of tired and had to put my arms down and then put them up again as I crossed the line. What an awesome race. I wouldn't say that I did everything right in preparation for this but I definitely did everything right today. The only thing I might've changed is waking up a little earlier to eat? Maybe not. There's definitely no formula.
01 - 5:51
02/3 - 11:19 (5:28)
04 - 22:04 (10:45)
05 - 27:41 (5:36)
06 - 33:04 (5:23)
07 - 38:55 (5:51)
08 - 44:27 (5:32)
09 - 50:05 (5:38)
10 - 55:28 (5:23)
11 - 61:04 (5:36)
12 - 66:42 (5:38)
13 - 72:14 (5:32)
14 - 77:40 (5:26)
15 - 83:00 (5:20)
16 - 88:51 (5:50)
17 - 1:34:23 (5:32)
18 - 1:39:42 (5:19)
19 - 1:45:10 (5:27)
20 - 1:50:37 (5:27)
21 - 1:56:11 (5:34)
22 - 2:01:42 (5:32)
23 - 2:07:18 (5:36)
24 - 2:12:51 (5:33)
25 - 2:18:22 (5:29)
26 - 2:23:45 (5:23)
26.2 - 2:24:55