35-40 degrees | felt like 31-40 degrees | 5 MPH N - 3 MPH NE
I didn't really know what I'd be capable of running today, since my mileage has been on the lower side and I haven't done much in the way of speedwork. I figured being able to run 8:30s might be the best I could do.
The first mile went by quickly, and I was surprised to see my split. I decided I would try to keep up that pace for as long as I could. I hung in front of a couple guys and a few feet back from a woman I know from the track club. The first water stop is shortly before mile 4, and I took some gel at that point. It provided a great psychological boost, and I picked up my pace.
The day had warmed up more than I had expected, and I was getting kind of warm by this point. I'd worn tights, a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt and an earband. I'd removed my gloves shortly after the first mile, and had had my sleeves pushed up for awhile. After mile 5, I'd had enough and took off the long sleeve shirt. It's always awkward to do so while running, but I managed. I felt better immediately! I would've liked to remove the earband, too, but I didn't want my hair to blow around so I left it alone.
Around 5.5 miles or so, I caught up to the track club woman. She told me good job, and I said that I'd been trying to catch her from the beginning. We briefly chatted and she encouraged me to take the tangents to keep ahead of her. I was feeling pretty good during this section of the race, and was pleased to see my 10K split (48:15). I did some quick math and realized if I could avoid fading (or having my legs crap out) I might actually have a chance to PR.
I got more gel after 8 miles, but didn't do as good a job with the water as I spilled some on my hand. I still need more practice drinking while running. Mile 9 is one of the worst - the road is uneven and pothole-filled, and it's mostly uphill. There's also a big, twisting turn at 8.8 miles. I was trying to run hard up the hill (reminding myself that it's flat at the top and then downhill so I'd be able to "rest"), but then a guy started to pass me. I then tried to run harder to keep up; I bet my heart rate got pretty high. I managed to not slow down too much on the flat part and then enjoyed the downhill.
I hit mile 10 and realized I had 20 minutes to PR. From then, I tried to keep the pace up and reminded myself I could rest when I was done. Anytime I felt like slowing I told myself "you want this" and pushed on. I hate mile 12 of this course; it has some small rolling hills and I've lost time here the previous 2 years. I made it a small goal to not slow down. I also hate the last 0.4 because it starts with a highway overpass, and it's hard to run up after 12 miles. It's really dorky, but "you want this" became my mantra, along with "go go go" once I got to the top. I don't know where it came from, but I flew down the other side of the overpass to the finish line.
After crossing the line I had my bib torn and they handed me my post-race goodie bag (gatorade, bagel bar-ish thing, apple, granola bar). I pulled out the gatorade and sat down to catch my breath. I later found D, found a guy I know, and we chatted while waiting for results. I had a feeling I didn't place in my AG, but I was curious to see who had. While waiting, D managed to find cookies that the TC President had made. He said cookies are the best post-race food, and these were pretty good.
Anyway, I'm obviously quite pleased with my race today. It appears I'm not as out of shape as I'd thought, since I bested my '04 time by 90 seconds, and I felt like I was in fairly decent shape at that time. Of course, I didn't taper at all that year and I did take it easier this year. But either way, 90 seconds is a great improvement! I'm also pleased to have recovered some of my mental toughness; that was a weak area in '05 and something to continue working on this year.
1 | 7:48
2 | 7:46 | 15:35
3 | 7:58 | 23:33
4 | 7:41 | 31:15
5 | 7:43 | 38:59
6 | 7:45 | 46:44
7 | 7:43 | 54:28
8 | 7:51 | 62:19
9 | 7:58 | 70:18
10 | 7:23 | 77:41
11 | 7:56 | 85:37
12 | 7:37 | 93:14
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20K | 1:36:12 | 7:44/mi.
9th 20-29 Female
71st Overall