Succint version:
In second place til 19th mile, then took the lead, then was passed at about 25.5 miles to get second place.
Starting detailed version:
My hotel gave me a 2:15 wake up call on accident!!!! And I couldn't fall back asleep until 4am, then I woke up at 4:15. Nice :(
I took the 4:40 shuttle, made it just in time to ride up the bus with the SF running group. It rained all the way up the course. Bad sign. The flags at the start indicated a stiff headwind (flags straight back) another bad sign. I warmed up .5 miles, then stretched, went potty twice but knew I was in trouble because it was a zero start morning when I toed the line. Adam RW and Craig Green were with me for our 2:45 pace group. By the time the race starts, the flags are still showing a bad headwind, but the flags aren't as stiffly back. For some reason, I don't decide to adjust my target splits (2:44 pace target), because in reality I was going to try to go lower than 2:44. This was a bad strategy.
I don't have all my splits because Adam's watch was more reliable than mine so I relied on him.
First mile 6:16 (target was 6:34) too fast! I wore a trash bag to start because it was still a steady cold rain, but I took it off after about .5 miles because the wind was too stiff and I felt like a sailboat getting pushed the wrong way.
2nd mile: 6:21 (too slow, target was 6:16), my socks are already wet through
3rd mile: 6:08 I don't get my elite bottle but just grab a cup of water/gatorade to take a swig.
4th mile: 6:05
5th mile: took a gu, plan was to alternate gus every four miles and elite bottles every four miles, so drink lots of water every four miles, and take a gu every four miles with just a swig or two of water from cups.
6th mile: 5:55 I think I need to go potty dang!
7th mile: I go potty right before the start of Veyo, I notice my clothing is already way soaked through. (Adam waits for me faithfully outside the portapotty)
8th mile: Veyo, and I push it too hard, trying to catch the pack we had
9th mile-11th: Start to feel bad, can't turn over legs to get the right pace for miles
12-13th mile - have a cramp, focus on breathing
14th mile - start to feel a little better, but I feel just like last year, my legs are already really sore. This isn't supposed to happen because I am better trained this year!
15th -17th miles - start of steeper downhill, kick it into higher gear and just begin to rein in Kara Bankhead who is in front of me. Her and I both take a portapotty break at mile 16, so I don't loose much ground on that one. 18 - reining Kara in 19 - uphill part, I pass Kara, she doesn't put up a fight 20 - now I am in the lead, Adam is rearing to leave me but I feel so dead legged I am hoping he'll stay with me, I need to go to the bathroom again!!!!
21 - I have a motorcycle leading me in, Adam leaves me at about 21
22 - at 21.5 I squat behind a guard rail, hoping I didn't give anyone behind me a show. 23 - 24 at this point I think I am keeping pace and so grateful to be leading, but legs are tired 25 - my legs are like bricks and I am slowing. Trying to keep a fast turnover, but fading 26 - at about 25.4, I hear a guy cheering for a girl as I turn onto Main street, look back and see a new girl who looks oh so strong. I say crap under my breath and I just let her pass me. Should I have put up a fight? She was going about 2 min per mile faster than me, and it was not an aerobic issue, it was a lactic acid build up, where my legs were not cooperating with my inward drive. Still, I didn't surge much when I saw her. She looked so strong and I felt so weak. After I turned the corner onto the last straightaway, I find some juice for a somewhat pathetic kick, but it was a kick nevertheless. It looked like a 2:50:40 finish, and the official time was 2:50:40. Ok, so an assessment. Overall, I am pleased with my time and my effort for the race. The conditions were awful (rain and headwind the whole time, heavy clothes, heavy shoes, blue lips), Everyone's times were slower, so I guess I can't be an exception. I didn't race for splits after mile 8, but just raced it. Racing for place was a nice change, but the conditions that made this necessary were unpleasant.
So here's where I think I went wrong: I met or exceeded my splits for the first 8 miles despite the weather and the potty break. I should have started out 10 seconds per mile slower at the start, and not pushed Veyo so much. I went out too fast 1-8, felt horrible 9-13, kicked it in gear from 14-23, then pettered out gradually from 24-26. The race was mine to lose and I lost it. So though overall the race went well, I made a strategic mistake at the beginning, and I wish I could have put up a better fight when my competitor came up on me. I need to learn how to not die the last two miles. I didn't die this bad at Ogden, so it may be the downhill miles of St G trash the legs so bad, there's no avoiding it. Still, I feel like I have more to learn. . .
I think this might be it for me and St. G. I feel like the course beat me instead of me beating it. So in a way I want to come back to redeem myself, but it is tangential to my goals. It will not be an OTQ race, and I need to train for the OTQ races and not get distracted by this race, even though it is the biggest marathon around. I had an ice cream cone after, got blue lips from being frozen, had a massage, then got a way sick feeling, and went to my hotel for a shower before the awards. Came back for the awards. Had a hamburger, fries and Dr. Pepper with Tyler and Kellie S for lunch, shared a bacon cheeseburger, fries and a big piece of chocolate cake from Outback for dinner, had more of that cake for breakfast Sunday morning, then had a big Coke for the drive home. Got the bad eating out of my system for sure.
| 