Miles 1-7: 8:16, 8:18, 7:57, 7:53, 8:01, 8:04, 8:01
Kristel told me her plan was a gel every 7 miles and I hopped on that bandwagon- sounded perfect. And it was!
The course had some nice longish rolling hills, which also made pacing tough. How fast do I go on the downhill to make up for the uphill? I tried to just run by feel and keep it steady. I had a small side stitch that had me a little worried, but it didn't get worse. Whew. I did NOT want to have another Colorado Marathon fiasco!
Miles 8-15: 7:53, 8:01, 8:02, 7:48, 7:49, 7:46, 7:52, 7:44
Around the halfway mark I started to notice the wind more and ducked behind anybody I could, but at this point in the race there weren't many people around! My watch was also ticking off miles WAY before the mile markers on the road and I definitely sped up too much trying to get on target pace.
Miles 16-23: 8:01, 7:58, 7:41, 7:54, 8:05, 7:55, 8:06, 8:10
Mile 19.4-20.4 was all uphill and that late in the race obviously made it harder. I wonder if that contributed some to my slow finish and wish I had allowed 10 or 15 extra seconds on that mile to save the seconds lost in the last 5k.
Miles 24- finish: 8:11, 8:23, 8:28, 7:26 pace last .44
The last 5k was all a fight against the wind as it started to rain, but I wasn't really that upset about slowing down! I was stoked! I knew I'd PR and it was nice not to have that panic I had at CIM knowing I was dangerously close to missing BQ time. With everything that had happened in the month prior to the race- finishing up last projects for the internship, packing, moving, week long road trip covering 1800 miles, job interviews and studying for the RD exam- I am pretty darn happy with how this turned out!
So, I'm not going to lie, when I crossed the finish line, I IMMEDIATELY cramped up. My calves felt like they were going to explode, and a nice volunteer walked me around the corner so I wouldn't fall over. I waited at the finish stretching and trying to hydrate for about 15 or 20 minutes before leaving the finish area and seeing Liz! So awesome that she was there! She ran the 5k that morning and rocked it after being sick for while.
Inside the gym they had a huge massage section and I am pretty sure the massage I had on my aching legs was the only reason I could walk on Monday! It was incredible! I went from barely hobbling to feeling like I ran... mmm.. maybe 18 miles ;). Big believer in massage!