Sorry for numbers and no report. I was on my husband's phone and you can't do an entry on the phone. So, you got the good news...with no news :) I was nervous...definitely nervous. Knowing my paces lately I was sure I had a 1:50, and a 1:48 seemed reachable, I honestly didn't think I'd not only hit my 1:45 but exceed it. I was VERY happy with the race! This morning my sweet baby slept for 7 hours! The longest he has slept continuously in MONTHS! Thank you sweet boy. I got out of the hotel around 8:15ish and grabbed a banana, half a bagel and a water bottle on my way out. Ran the mile to the convention center so I didn't have to wake up the family. Good thing too! Traffic was SO bad getting there, I'm sure it was faster to take a warm-up mile. I got there and started seeing all the great runners around! Ran into Michelle L and I said to her "you're running? crud! now I have NO chance of winning!" Hahaha, always fun to dream :) Had a good chat with her and then went off to the crowds. Smooth, Kelli, Wendy, Becca, Don, Lowell, most every BBK I know and more! I love having a race with SO many running friends, makes it all so much more fun. As the race started I was with Becca and I was nervous, SO nervous! Just go for it, Rachel...Just go for it. Leave it all on the road. I felt good as we took off and the first mile flew by, afterward I could see the hills we ran up, but I didn't notice anything until mile 3 - which is a good thing for me. About mile 4ish a couple guys were talking about their pace. I tried not to listen. I HATE knowing how fast I'm running, it plays head games with me. 7:38...wow? really? I'm feeling okay :) It was a good course with the hills small enough that I felt like I could push and tackle them. The only thing I hated was there were many 'tight' turns...like a U turn. I feel like I pretty much have to stop to turn and it pulls down my pace, because I don't come out of the turn as fast as I go in. Took a GU at mile 5, then you pass the finish and go for your second loop. I was still feeling pretty good and the GU definitely helped put some energy back in the tank. I saved my caffeine GU for a boost at mile 9 and then at 11 I took a swig of gatorade, and that was it for the race. The worst mile for me by far was 12. I looked at my watch
and saw I was at 1:35, I could blow the last mile and still hit my goal! YIPEE!
So, I think my pace eased and mentally I started checking out. About mile 12.25
Michelle L was running back on the course and as she passed she shouted “Nice
job Rachel! You got this, stay strong!” I thought about it and realized I
needed to stay strong. If I can easily hit a 1:45, why not see what I CAN do?
Why lower my ability to my goal? I need to stay strong, I’ve got Michelle to
answer to now.
At about 12.5 I was
breathing SO hard, I had to keep reminding myself to keep it under control. I
heard Kelli’s famous line in my head: “you’re not breathing that hard” – I knew
I’d be able to tell her that I certainly WAS breathing hard! I swear people thought I was having a heart
attack. As we turned off the path and headed toward the finish I was catching
the only guy around me and I heard someone behind me. Crud! I couldn’t handle
another person passing me right now. As he caught up he said “just stay with
me.” No way! Some strange guy saw me struggling and was here to help me,
wonderful luck of the draw!! Right afterward I saw Becca coming back to run me in, I knew if I
just stayed with these two I could do it. I rounded the corner to the finish chute and had that last
pull to the finish. I was EXSTATIC when I saw that I had crossed in 1:42. I’d
done it, not only met but exceeded my expectations. I CAN do this. My PR is
1:40 on a downhill course and I was carrying about 15 pounds less than I’ve got
on me right now. So, I think I now will have to shoot for a 1:35 on a good
downhill course – onward and upward!
After I finished I could barely talk and when people would
ask how I did, I would just shove my watch in their face. The water/Gatorade was
hidden, I couldn’t find it! Finally got some liquid and cooled down. Again got
to chat with SO many wonderful people, not only the ones I saw at the start,
but also found Julie C, Brent, Walter some of Lowell’s friends and most importantly Dale! Stayed for
the awards and won a few good prizes too! Bonus for staying late :)
Had a wonderful day and I feel good, well GREAT about my
performance. Not good enough that I think I had something left to give, I’ll be
feeling this one. BUT, oh it feels good :)
AP: 7:55 splits….yet to come. Haven’t looked and can’t
download them until I get home. **A little update, okay the AP from the race is off your gun time, so mine is actually a little bit faster :) Here are the updated AP and splits: AP: 7:50 splits: 7:48, 7:45, 7:30, 7:36, 7:41, 8:01, 7:49, 7:54, 8:01, 8:04, 7:45, 8:09 (last GU/water stop), 7:59, 7:25 (last .1) I'm really excited about how many sub 8 miles are in there and that even with water stops the slowest mile was an 8:09. Man, I still feel good about this :) Another fun thing I like to do is figure out my percentile - so I was in the top 13% of all women and 14% of my age group. Please do note that my age group is the biggest AND the top five finishers are all IN my age group...have I complained enough yet about how I hate the 30-34 age group?
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