Notes
Usually I like to relax a little bit the day before a race, make sure I hydrate well and eat throughout the day. On this particular Saturday, we went car shopping since DWs van engine had blown a piston. So my stomach feels like it is bleeding out while we sit in the car dealership and starve. After 5+ hours of dealing with the car (we did manage to get a great deal) we go to Mickey Finns for dinner. I had fish and chips and a beer. My stomach still felt like it was going to implode so I didn’t eat as much as I normally would. Went home, packed for the race and went to bed around 9:30 PM.
Woke at 6:00 for the race and had my usual pre-race breakfast of coffee and oatmeal. I skipped the shower as I didn't know how bad the roads would be- the driveway was complete ice. Left at 6:30 and was at the course by 7:00. The course is supposed to be 5 – 10K loops on single track and hilly terrain. It was covered with snow, with some ice underneath. I ran out on the trail maybe 50 yards to see what it was like and decided my trail shoes would work better than screw shoes.
Got the race packet, hit the rest room a few times and waited for the race to start. About 10 minutes before the race, everyone started gathering around the start. I dropped off a drop bag and my handheld on the tarp just in case I needed supplies during the race. I saw a few runners I knew and said hi. Todd S. (one of the runners I was worried about racing) asked if I was going to win. I just laughed and said I just wanted to come in top 5. He said he and Keith B. (a 2:42 marathoner) were going to run an easy 7:30 pace. After I told him I raced 10 miles on the same course and averaged 6:52 pace he said they may need to think about slowing down.
I started out next to Keith and Todd in the back. When after about 50 yards they stayed in the back, I took off to get near the front. I did not want to be stuck behind 20 people on single track. I made my way to the front slowly passing people. The first loop was pretty uneventful, the pace was pretty moderate and I was in 3rd place most of the loop. I hit the aid station which was about 3.5 miles into the loop and saw they didn’t have water/Gatorade already poured at the water stops. After finishing the first loop I ran to the tarp to grab my hand held so I didn’t have to waste time pouring. I caught up to one of the runners after the first loop and chatted with him (Scott) about prior races and he said his marathon PR was a 3:30 at Chicago and he ran a 9:59 at DPR 50 mile. I told him the pace he was running was pretty close to what would be marathon pace on a course like this. He said his legs felt good and he was going to keep up the pace.
We traded off pacing each other for about two loops and another guy named Justin caught up to us and ran about a half loop. I started to get impatient near the end of the 3rd loop. We hit a flat stretch and I picked up the pace just enough to make it harder to for him keep up with me. This was a race after all. After about half a mile both guys had dropped pretty far back. After that I didn’t see anyone behind me for the last two loops. I ran into the main aid station, saw my wife and kids cheering me on and gave them a running hug and kept on going. Saw them again the next loop and repeated the process. I probably lost a good 30 seconds doing this and would have been pissed at myself if I ended up losing by 30 seconds, but it felt good at the time.
The last loop I tried to pick up the pace even more, but fatigue had set in an I had to walk some of the uphills. I kept waiting to see someone behind me, but never did. I hit the unmanned aid station, where I could see about a quarter mile back and still saw no one even close. I struggled through the last 2.5 miles trying to go as fast as I could. Finally I could see the end in sight. Ran the final loop around to the finish and tried to sprint in. Whew, I was done and won it!
-Post race - after looking at my splits, I'm pretty happy with the pacing overall. Ran by effort and only glanced at the watch a few times. Ended up running about a minute and a half negative split (2:08:46/2:07:19). Second place came in 3 minutes behind me. Scary thing is I never saw him on the course, even on the half mile loop that intersects so he must have been on my heels pretty close the whole time. Scott, the guy I ran with for quite a while ended up finishing in 4:46, so exactly 30 minutes behind. I didn't see him afterwards, but that means he lost those 30 minutes over the last 12 miles. I hung out for a little after, but I got so cold, I could not stay outside any further.