A PR!

That was tough!

Although I was disappointed that I didn’t hit my Boston cutoff of 3:20, I had kind of given up on it before the race based on the projected conditions.  I was excited to set a PR though (by 26 whole seconds)!  My previous PR was 6 years ago (much closer to my prime), on a flat course in Kiawah, and in ideal weather conditions (low 40s), so it was hard to be too disappointed.  This was my first time with FIRST, so I think that was key in helping me get faster.

All in all the race was pretty well run, but I thought the water stations were pretty disorganized.  It felt a bit like a scavenger hunt, and I kept having to ask what was in the cup, powerade or water (mostly water).  The last 10k was a bit frustrating.  There were a lot of walkers from the half marathon walking side-by-side and even many walkers that didn’t seem to be in the race, so there was a lot of weaving to be done to get through.

I took the first 10k pretty conservatively and then decided to at least try to get myself to mile 20 with enough cushion to give myself a long shot at Boston if I had a great last 10K, which didn’t happen.  So from 6 to 20, I ran a little harder than I probably should have.  I had a sheet with project pacing, which I abandoned at the half way point and just decided to run how I felt.

Piedmont Park (mile 18 – 20) seemed to do a lot of folks in.  Quite a few runners were walking or hurling here.  The tree cover was gone, and the heat and the sun really seemed stifling.

The last 6 were tough.  I remembered what a colleague and much better runner said and considered mile 20 to be the halfway point. Susannah and the kids were hanging out at mile 24, so just getting there was my goal from mile 20.  The kids peppered me with squirt guns, which was great.  I bonked hard at about 25.2 and really battled my brain which was telling me to stop and walk, even though I was so close.  I didn’t walk though. It may not have looked much like running to a spectator!  I’m not sure if I was cursing out loud or in my head.

Once I got to the top of the hill, you could hear the crowd and see the finish, which really helped get through the last half mile or so.

FIRST seemed to give me a deeper well from which to pull and more confidence to run faster and know I’d have something left.  Thanks to the race coordinators for a great inaugural race and all the volunteers and spectators, and mostly family and friends for cheering us on.

10K        Half        20Mile    FINISH
49:37      1:41:48      2:35:42     3:26:14