Alright, here I am finally getting around to my race write up. I know you're all dying to know how I did. The answer: pretty well actually. It was a beautiful day and I felt awesome. I warmed up before the race started, luckily, because I figured out where the starting line was. Lucas and I got into a good position and pretty soon we were off. My plan was to start out a little conservatively and negative split the rest. I almost accomplished that. The first mile was 7:23, which was faster than I would have liked but comfortable. A woman running next to me commented that we were running a good pace. It was a nice gesture but we had 12 miles left to run so I didn't think much of it. I ended up going back and forth with that woman for almost the whole race, and eventually I beat her.
Unfortunately I started to get a stomach cramp around mile 3, so I slowed down a little bit. I took my GU at mile 4 instead waiting until miles 5 or 6, hoping that the energy and electrolytes would help me get back in the game. It took about a mile and a half, but my splits started coming down again. I hit mile 8 right at 1 hour, and realized that I could PR if I kept up a good pace. Right after that a small and hairy Indian man passed me, so I put a target on his back and started trying to gun him down. He looked pretty old to be going as fast as he was, but that confusion made me want to beat him even more. Up until this point in the race we had been running in cute neighborhoods around a pretty lake with lots of foliage. We crossed back over the highway and into an industrial park. The sun was beating down and without the shade it was pretty warm. Another older man pulled up next to me and we ran in sync for a while. I liked having his steps next to me but I started pulling away and definitely wasn't going to stay back to I could run step for step with this stranger. With about 2 miles to go, I started digging in and trying to push it. I did the math in my head and knew that I could PR, but it would be close. at 11.5 miles, the race turned onto a bike path by the water. We faced a really strong head wind, which threw me for a loop. I was trying to go as fast as I could at that point, even though my mile splits weren't any faster. This was actually a good sign; I didn't die and I was able to kick after 12 miles. I hit the 13 mile mark with about 2 minutes left to PR and I went for it. My mom was near the finish line and got some pictures of me. One of them is probably the worst running picture I've ever seen of myself so I'm not going to post it here but it's clear I was working hard. I crossed the finish line in 1:39:14, a 19 second PR. I was 4th in my age group, too.
Even though my goal was 1:35, I don't have much to complain about. My training paid off, I felt strong, and ran a PR. Lucas also ran a PR too so it was a great day all around! I had a lot of fun at the race, in part because of my colorful outfit. My new Oiselle Distance shorts served me well, especially with the multiple pockets where I stored my GUs. I did chafe a little bit on my legs and my arms as well, but I think it was from the heat more than from any of the clothes I was wearing. And I definitely rocked my neon compression socks. I was hoping that the compression would help my legs recover, but I ran so hard I don't know that my compression socks could do so much more to help my recovery.
When I was on the starting line I spotted my friend Kat from Colby. She was our track and cross country captain our sophomore year and now, a few years out of college, she's tearing it up on the road. She won her age group in 1:26, even though she said it wasn't her best race. I got a picture with her afterwards. She's such a strong no-nonsense runner and I totally look up to her; I loved running into her at the race.
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