I guess I am ready to write this race report now. I have been looking forward to this race while suffering through workouts in Hong Kong in the heat and humidity. However, my enthusiasm waned after a stressful couple of weeks, from being sick while traveling in Vietnam, and lots of travel. I was still happy to face the challenge of a course I have run a couple of times before and against a good group of competitive women. I wanted to try to break 36:00, so I looked at my splits from last year. I switched my watch to miles so that I could match the course markings and splits from prior years. I basically wanted to run by feel and be stronger during the flat and uphill. I knew Emily Bates and Melody would be major competition, but there are always others I don't know who show up at the race, and that Kassi would be way ahead. She is so strong. Josse, Melody and I stayed with Ericka the night before and had some fun girly time. Race morning we got there with just under 40 minutes to prepare, enough for a race that starts at 6am. We warmed up (2.26 miles for me), stretched, pottied, then a couple of strides. It was nice to catch up with Emily in the morning and to see Kassi and congratulate her on coming back strong so fast after her baby. Here's the race: Mile 1: of course 15 or so girls were ahead of me by the mile 1 marker. People go out so fast! I go out a conservative 5:31 (5:23 last year) Mile 2: still feeling good, got 5:34 (5:28 last year), picking off people Mile 3: hate the bit of uphill, but regain momentum in the downhill part, 5:50 (5:46 last year), not in a panic that I am slower on all my splits from last year, I am going by feel and it doesn't feel right to go faster, Melody comes up to me, so glad she did. Unfortunately feeling like I need a port a pot Mile 4: catching some girls, surge to pass them at the 4 mile mark, Melody is with me, 5:47 (5:51 last year), hear from a guy that Emily B is ahead and #3 and is suffering. We all are reeling her in Mile 5: getting distracted by my intestines, realizing its a bush or bust with my need to go potty, make a quick stop but I lose the pack of three other girls (melody and two others) and and another girl passes during my quick stop. Didn't get an individual split for this mile. I start to reel in the girl who passed during the bush break. Right around the 5 mile mark there was a water stop that was not ready. Also right around the 5 mile mark a cop makes me turn, though all the runners, including the ladies I am trying to catch up to went straight. I stop and have a mini-argument with him. He tells me they are going the wrong way and that I need to turn and go on the right course. This is such a bummer. From what I can tell, there were guys that went the wrong way because there were not volunteers at the turn and all the top ladies followed. Now I don't pretend that I would have caught up to Kassi and #2, but I did hope to catch the pack that gapped me when I stopped. I likely would not have beat all of them for the #3 stop, but my race ended when I turned and they went straight. Who was I to race at this point? I will never know how strong I would have finished and that bums me out. I don't have a split for mile 5 Mile 6: running on my own on the parade route. Was cheered on as the first girl and tried to play the part, though I was a bit deflated. I did kick it in when a guy eventually came up on me. We raced it in and he beat me by just under a second. My split for the final 2.21 was 6:17. A lame average, but it did include the quick potty break and running solo. Melody did awesome and fought for 3rd place and beat out the other ladies. It was a great race for her, and my disappointment in not being able to follow the leading ladies in no way means the ladies in the front did not deserve their win and prizes. However, course snafoos do create disappointment and race directors should never minimize the importance of adequate course markings and volunteers. Josse, Melody and I ran up the course backwards and got another 5 miles in. We saw the top men and Allie as they finished up their marathons. We were near delirium by the time we got to Josse's car.
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