I'm going to Boston!!!!!!!!
Sorry for the delay! My home computer is completely broken. I'll give details later, but I felt horrible, weather was crappy, but I still got what I needed!! I look forward to killing this time sometime soon. Right now it looks like Boston may wait until 2010, but I'm really excited! Splits and details to come... Super-detailed race report for future reference: At the start of the race it was 68 degrees with a dew point of 65. I couldn't believe how hot and humid it felt, especially after training in Tallahassee. There was a wind of 5-10 which was bitter sweet because it made it tough to run but also wicked away a little sweat. Mile 1: 8:01 My dad and I decided I would try to do the first half at 8-8:10 pace. That meant any time under 8:23s (what I needed for Boston) could be used in the second half. Mile 2: 8:03 Mile 3: 8:07 Still feeling pretty heavy at this point and couldn't get comfortable with the pace. I figured it would take a couple more miles. Mile 4: 8:04 Mile 5: 7:58 Usually the magic mile, but still felt crappy today. My dad asked how I felt and I just kept saying "it's still early." Mile 6: 8:03 Still feeling bad but happy with my splits so far. Mile 7: 8:12 I knew my time I planned to finish would have made me win this race 50% of the previous years which made me really nervous. At this point there was a small out and back portion and I saw 3 women in front of me which actually made me feel great and really calmed me down. It meant I could run my own race. Mile 8: 8:05 Still felt bad and realized that I most likely would the whole race. Began to realize that this is what a bad running day feels like. I hadn't felt bad on race day in years, so I was well overdue! Took a gu hoping for a little help. Mile 9: 8:04 Mile 10: 8:12 I usually take a few sips at water stops, but by this point I realized I needed to take in a full cup at each one. Mile 11: 8:03 This is where the races split and my dad went towards the finish. Game time! It got really lonely after this point, I only passed 5-6 people from here until the end of the race. Mile 12: 8:04 Ate an orange slice. Mile 13: 8:04 Ate another gu and and realized this was the hardest half marathon I had ever run in my life. I was more tired than my fastest half. My split was around 1:46, giving me 4 minutes "in the bank" as my dad and I referred to it. That was good to know. Mile 14: 8:11 By this point I was taking two cups at each water stop, drinking the gatorade and half the water, then dumping the other half of the water over my head. I never had to do that before. I passed a guy and he looked at me, didn't say a word and fist-bumped me. It was the coolest thing ever, I may need to steal that idea. I passed another guy and gave him some encouraging words. He just looked at me and in the most miserable voice moaned "I'm dyiiingggg." Mile 15: 8:03 Mile 16: 7:59 Still keeping my splits where they needed to be, and knew I just needed to hold on to it as long as I could. At this point I had 5 minutes "in the bank." Mile 17: 8:15 Mile 18: 8:23 Another gu. It started to thunder and we all anxiously waited for the rain, hoping somehow we would only get a nice cooling drizzle. Mile 19: 8:27 It began to downpour right at the mile marker, with thunder, lightning and wind... the works. Mile 20: 8:22 Shoes now completely soaked through for the first time on a long run. Didn't think they would feel this heavy, but I guess anything does 20 miles in. I just stared at the ground and pulled myself ahead. I knew this would be the longest six miles of my life. It was the first time I felt too tired to talk to other runners that were running in the opposite direction. Most of them I couldn't even pick up my head to make eye contact with. Mile 21: 8:37 Honestly the only thing going on in my head from here to the finish was "this is the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life." Over and over. I tried to think about other things but it was too hard, so I went back to that. Mile 22: 8:36 Mile 23: 8:35 Continued to just pull myself. Ate a gu but it took an entire mile to finish. Mile 24: 8:50 I think this is where there was a bad head wind. Mile 25: 8:52 There was no one around me and I actually thought I was lost. That's something that will freak you out 25 miles in! I finished with a 7 minute bubble around me of no runners. Mile 26: 8:35 Finish: 3:37:16. I saw my parents and started to hyperventilate because of all the emotion of being done. Kind of embarrassing. My legs were the achiest they have ever been and I was soooo cold after I stopped, but warm clothes and jambalaya felt awesome! I was 4th girl, 2nd in my age group, and something like 17th overall (I think). I know this was really detailed, but I want to remember what it felt like to run this far while feeling horrible. It was the strongest my mind ever had to be during a race to get me through this. I did what I had to do to get my BQ, which is awesome, but I can't wait to kill this time! I know if I am feeling good and have good weather I can do it. I think I will aim for 3:30 next time. I will be working on my race plans for the next week or two, and I'll let you know! Thanks everyone for your thoughts and support!
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