Notes
HELL YEAH! 2min PR at Kiawah Half for a surprise 2nd, very pumped!
I'm extremely happy with this. It's at least my best post-collegiate race and maybe my best race in general? There might be some recency bias there, but there's a case to be made!
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PRE-RACE
I went in with a lot of confidence (though admittedly I was wavering a bit the few days before the race), but once again in hindsight I kind of wonder where that confidence came from! A PR felt like a given, and sub-1:15 seemed like the bare minimum goal. Figured I'd end up in the 1:14s but sub-1:14 was my stretch goal and I wanted to at least put myself in a position to get it. I decided I'd start at 5:40s and hoped I'd be able to summon a strong 2nd half to sneak into the 1:13s.
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RECAP
Honestly the race was kind of a blur! Managed to start up front despite my last-minute request of an elite bib being denied L-O-L ("just over our elite time limit"). I certainly had some company for the first few miles but it did start to string out earlier than I expected. The first mile felt great; by the second I was already wondering if I was working too hard too soon, but I ignored the doubt and pressed onward. Don't remember much else from those miles except that I was exactly on 5:40 pace according to the course clocks at 4 (and figured a few seconds ahead by chip time but didn't bother to check). On 5, I had moved past all the guys immediately around me and was chasing Chris, hoping to catch him before the split. Couldn't quite get there without going faster than I was comfortable with at that stage, but I did get a little boost out of the chase! (Side note: He DESTROYED his marathon.)
Miles 6 and 7 were pretty lonely but I don't mind that. At some point in there someone called out 6th place for me, then one of the early leaders dropped out so I was up to 5th. Moved past 4th around the same time, though I wasn't sure of my place until we went behind The Sanctuary and it was called out over the speaker. I was really closing in on 3rd by then and pulled even just before 10 I believe. I gave a little push but he rallied and opened up a little space. But I held steady and when I went past the second time, that was the last I saw of him. By then I could tell that Eric was definitely coming back. Surprisingly, mile 12 was SLOW and I don't know why! I was definitely mentally engaged, I was definitely closing the gap to Eric, and I didn't feel like I had let the pace slip, but alas. I shrugged it off, upped the effort again, and finally pulled up to Eric with ~3/4 of a mile to go. I expected him to rally but when I didn't get any resistance going past him, I could tell he was cooked. Eric told me later that I looked really controlled and composed when I went by... boy did I fool him! I was definitely hurting then and felt pretty sloppy, but I guess I was holding it together. I figured I could coast it in and keep 2nd but fought the temptation and gutted it out, just giving myself a bit of time on that last stretch to really soak it all in.
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REFLECTION
Man, I'm thrilled. I really don't have anything bad to say about this one. I was aggressive, I raced, I pushed myself, I didn't get in my head, and I ran with confidence. I think I allowed myself one glance back the whole race as I made the last turn for home, otherwise it was all about moving FORWARD. I guess the only blemish was that mile 12 but /shrug what can you do. The 2-min PR thing is a little artificial because I'm sure I could have run faster at Charleston earlier this year with less wind but hey, it's all speculation until you do it! I smashed a PR, I smashed my goal... when's the last time I genuinely did that?!
At the risk of beating a dead horse, these past few months have really changed my outlook on training, now more so than ever. I've really come to appreciate the importance of recovery, consistency, and being honest with myself about effort. The hardest part is just trusting it will be there when I need it! But definitely good learning to take with me going forward. Taking a little time off (honestly for convenience more than anything), then starting the build to Boston.
Oh and needless to say it was a beautiful course! The course was fast and engaging, and weather was perfect. It was pretty quiet for a lot of the race but again I'm fine with that. Logistically it's a little annoying coming from off-island (up before 5am) but overall the event was very well-organized and a lot of fun. Initially I was pretty confused how I could have taken 2nd but that was mostly based on last year's results which were more competitive than average. This year was definitely a weak year, but there have been weaker! Great race, fun race, very glad I did it!
Good. Stuff.
P.S. Fun fact - I have been 2nd in 3/3 of my half marathons (and was a SOUNDLY beaten 2nd each time, ha).