This was not a great race for me. But I did have a blast in Phoenix and it was a very much needed break with plenty of sleeping and being completely lazy!
My friends and I got a ride up to the start in style in my friend Chris's Limousine...that was fun! The weather was crazy and I was sick so I didn't really know what I was going to do. Was I going to race or was I going to run for fun with my friends? I am not using my illness as an excuse for my performance (it was my choice to race) but it really has wiped me out and it definitely effected me.
My initial goal when I registered for this race was to run 1:21-1:22 and maintain a solid 6:15 pace. I ran the first 3 miles at exactly 6:15 pace and that was all my body had. I just had no energy and realized it just was not going to happen. So I backed off to marathon pace and readjusted my goal to 1:25.......and Ahh finishing! I averaged a 6:25-6:35 pace for the remainder of the race and barely snuck under my readjusted goal. The only problem was I felt like I was finishing a marathon instead of just a half. I truly had to "pep talk" myself into keep going every single mile it seemed. When we ran into the 10K at mile 7 I found myself pacing with 10kers and all alone. I think I momentarily even forgot I was racing...gosh it was just painful. It was lonely and miserable and I was so happy to finish! I'll update my splits later. It really wasn't a tragic fall apart but I just felt awful and really hope not to feel that terrible again until I actually race a marathon.
Splits: 6:13, 6:14, 6:15, 6:30, 6:33, 6:30, 6:30, 6:30, 6:33, 6:38, 6:40, 6:35, 6:24, :48
2 mile warmup with Julia/4 mile cooldown running my friend Christina in for the full marathon.
A few notable highlights of the race:
- Watching Riley run in was AWESOME!! Major congratulations to him. He had such a big lead and just looked so strong. It was so fun to cheer him on.
- Salted Caramel GU is kind of amazing. That was the only highlight of my race. Once that was gone it was back to my misery but seriously everyone should try this flavor. Yum!
- The Phoenix Marathon is such an awesome race. One of the best organized races I've ever done. The course is great and I highly recommend it. I really can't say enough about how well I was treated by the organizers.
- Seeing Derek and Allison out on the course was so fun. They are both inspiring athletes and just so kind and encouraging.
It was a really great vacation and I am not too upset about the race outcome. Sometimes you just have to do the best that your body has on that day and that is exactly what I did. The last 10 miles I seriously wanted to DNF and I somehow held it together so I guess it was good mental practice at running fast with nothing to give.
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