weather:
Start: 51 degrees | wind 17 MPH
Finish: 59 degrees | wind 23 MPH

I ran this race last year when it was in the 30s. Today it was warmer, but the wind remained the same annoyance that it was last year.

The first half of the race was alright; I started out at a decent pace and managed to hang onto it for awhile. I tried to stay near a group of 4-5 girls in my age group, but they pulled ahead before mile 4. I did manage to pass one of the girls around mile 6, but the others were pretty much lost to me by that point.

The second half was where a couple of things went wrong. First, the weather. It felt a lot warmer than it was and I started feeling dehydrated by the half. There were only two water stops (at miles 4 and 8) and I could've used more. The wind was also causing problems; one man even remarked at how it seemed like no matter which was we turned, it was into the wind. Those two things alone would've have been so bad, but the main problem was that I just didn't have it today. My calves and hamstrings started to get tight around the half, and it became difficult to keep the pace up. When we approached the second water stop, I actually stopped and walked through it to make sure I could get all the water down. I also took 1/2 a gel, as I knew I'd need energy for the upcoming hill.

There are 2 things I hate about this course, and the first is the hill at around 8.5 miles. It's short, but steep and sucks when your legs are tired. I ran up it pretty strongly, but slowed at the top. I was running next to a guy that suggested we go after the 2 men ahead of us. I didn't have the strength to put in a surge, so I told him to go ahead. He said it'd be more fun with 2, but went ahead without me. We got to run down a hill, so I did pick up some speed in the next mile, but it was short lived. I'm not sure what exactly happened for miles 11 and 12, but I just completely lost focus and ran like crap. I think my heart rate readings show that I wasn't putting in the effort I did over the first half; maybe I used my tired legs as an excuse to slack? Hard to say what was going on, but I did feel the effects of not having done enough long runs as my endurance is definitely lacking at the moment. (Side note: while I did wear the HRM, I didn't pay attention to the readings during the race at all).

My second least favorite thing about the course is that right after you cross the 12 mile marker, you have to run up a highway overpass. Now, highway overpasses are short and not particularly steep, but it's hard for me to run up one hard after 12 miles. I made a good effort up the overpass (faster than last year), but ended up getting passed by a woman after reaching the top. I probably should've chased her harder.

They had brought the food/drink stuff to the finish line this year (last year, with the cold, it was all inside) so I was able to get some much needed liquid right away. I drank half a bottle of water and almost an entire 20 oz bottle of Gatorade within about a 2 minute time period. I didn't run a cool-down, instead I walked around a bit and then stretched while drinking some more water. I didn't stay for the awards, as I knew I was out of the running. It's kind of funny - I ran almost 2 minutes slower than last year, but finished 4 places better overall and 5 places worse in my age group.

Overall, a really disappointing day. Last year, this race served as a much needed confidence boost heading into the racing season. This year, it served more to showcase my lack of endurance and speed. I'm hoping some of it is a residual effect from being sick a few weeks ago, but regardless, I have a lot of training that I need to do. It appears I also need to work on my mental fitness, as I should've been able to push through the toughness, and I lacked that ability today.

1.0 | 7:48 | AHR 184
2.0 | 7:46 | 15:34 | AHR 190
3.0 | 7:52 | 23:27 | AHR 189
4.0 | 7:45 | 31:12 | AHR 190
5.0 | 7:56 | 39:08 | AHR 192
6.0 | 7:52 | 47:01 | AHR 192 (tied shoe)
7.0 | 8:02 | 55:03 | AHR 190
8.0 | 8:10 | 1:03:14 | AHR 188
9.0 | 8:24 | 1:11:39 | AHR 190 (water stop; hill)
10.0 | 7:46 | 1:19:25 | AHR 187 (downhill)
11.0 | 8:16 | 1:27:41 | AHR 187
12.0 | 8:33 | 1:36:15 | AHR 185 (small hills)
12.4 | 3:08 | 1:39:23 | AHR 188
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20K | 1:39:23 | AHR 189

75th overall
16th overall female
8th 20-29 female age group