Notes
Well, this was a tough race in tough conditions, and I'm about as pleased as could be with the result.
I did not hit my goal time of sub-1:30/sub 9-minute miles. But I don't think it was realistic. It was hot, around 80 at the finish, and even that is a bit deceptive. With the humidity and the lack of shade on the course, the effective temperature was higher. And of course this weather just came on, so we hadn't trained in it. They were issuing heat advisories to the runners and telling everyone to drink more than usual. And also telling us not to go for PRs. Well, I did get a PR anyway.
I felt very strong for the first three miles. It was crowded in the pack at the start, more so than last year, and took me a little while to get going. But eventually I did, and my first mile split was even a little fast, like 8:50. Same thing on the second mile. Already I was getting hot and thirsty. I stopped at the first water stop, and unlike last year in which I took the cup running, wet my mouth with it, and then kept going, this year I really needed to actually drink the fluids. Slowed me down a little but was essential to keeping me going, so time well spent. My second mile was also about an 8:50 pace, my third mile slower because of the wait at the water stop. Around the third mile, my legs started to get tired. My breathing was okay but my legs were already getting a little weak. And I remember thinking, that's not good because last year it took until about the five mile mark for that to happen. Still, around mile 4 I was still slightly under pace. Around mile 5 I was just slightly over, but still close enough.
Things got tougher after City Hall. It was just so hot out. I felt like I was running on autopilot. My legs started to scream that I should walk. My pace slowed down. I knew I was no longer on track for sub 1:30, but I wasn't far off and I knew I was still on PR pace. I just had to hold. And avoid passing out, of course. That was the trick: not get freaked out and back off more than I needed to, but also not push too hard and then blow up. My legs felt heavy and really wanted me to quit, but my head felt clear and I didn't think I was in serious danger of passing out, so I kept going and just slowed up the pace a little. Miles 7-9 were tough especially. All I could do is tell myself that I was almost there and that there was no point in slowing down. Anyway, I'm proud of myself because I hung on. My pace did slow down toward the end, and it had to--I had nothing left at the end--but it didn't drop off a cliff, I never walked, and despite the conditions I achieved a 7 minute, 45 second PR.
There is not much I would do differently. I ran through most of the fire hydrants and that was definitely worth doing. I wore a tank top and that was the right amount of clothes. My cell phone jiggled around a bit in my back pocket, and I'm not sure if I would rather not have it in the future. I brought it to meet up with Wright.
In addition to my own my personal PR, I was a member of one of our corporate women's running teams. We placed third in the competition, and I was a scoring runner (coming in third on my team). This was kind of fun. I'm also pleased that I placed in the top third of all participants and the top quarter of women overall and in my age group.
This was a physical test, and it was also a mental test, and I passed both with flying colors. I could have trained more, to be certain, and want to improve my habits for fall half marathon season. But mostly it was a tough day that couldn't have been predicted or prevented, and I did a great job. Yay.