42F, N 16-26 mph, raining. 21-second PR today, so minimal complaining. I fat-fingered the buttons on the garmin a bit in the 1st half so I did some forensic backtracking with the official splits to recreate the actual flow a little better. Some splits in the first 5 miles are educated guesses based on Garmin + timing mat splits.
Pre race was pretty easily the most miserable I've been at a starting line. Cold, windy, and sheets of rain coming down. Of course I didn't bring any throw-away garments, why would I do that? Anyway, after violently convulsing for 30 minutes or so, we were off.
First 5k - 19:50. Something like 6:37, 6:16, 6:10, 0:47. The 6:37 is definitely correct. Mile 2 is where I fat-fingered the garmin. The first mile was probably the most brutal of the race, course-wise. Due north into the wind, and some Houston hills (overpasses/bridges). After I saw the first mile click in, I had to work hard to keep that positive attitude. My arms were going numb.
Second 5k - 19:38 Something like 6:22, 6:19, 6:11, 0:46. After mile 5 I was back on track with Garmin. Anyway, I caught my breath in this 5k. In mile 6, we finally turned downwind after a bunch of cross/headwind. So that's the reason for the 6:11. Hit the 10k in 39:28, right on pace.
Miles 7-9 - 6:21, 6:22, 6:20. All tailwind miles. After running a bit in the low 6:10s, it felt like too much, even going downwind, so I backed off to a more appropriate pace for 7-9. The turnaround back to the north comes right after mile 9.
Miles 10-13.1 - 6:40, 6:32, 6:32, 6:27, 50s for 0.15 (5:43). Mile 10 was obviously dead into the wind. Managed to cross 15k in 59:13, which was still a nice 19:44 for the 3rd 5k (thanks to the tailwind). I noticed I crossed the mile 10 mark near 1:04-flat though, which I recognized as some pretty decent hemorrhaging. It meant I needed a sub-20 finish just to break 1:24 which I thought would be impossible. I was suffering pretty bad too, then noticed my pace in the 6:50s...I was spiralling down hard but then this older guy came whizzing by me and I made it my mission to latch on. Somehow, I did (probably because I was drafting like a mooch), and he brought my pace down to about 6:40, when we made the turn to the east. Turns out he was 57 years old, wow. I was able to pick it up a lot without the headwind, but had lost that spring in my step. Crossed the 20k at 79:47, meaning a 20:34 for that last 5k. I knew I still had PR-potential though. It kept me driving on, and I was able to eke out the PR.
So, final thoughts -- not bad at all. My A-goal was sub 1:23. I don't know that even in perfect conditions that I was quite ready for that. Close, maybe. B-goal was a PR. So I checked that box, at least. I'll have to look and see how the elites did. I get the feeling it was not an optimal day, with the waterlogged shoes/clothes and wind. But the temp was great! I'll call it a good stepping stone, proof of improvement, and move on to Boston training in good spirits.
**update - ok, checked out some times/places, and it appears I did pretty well. Even most of the elites added 1-3 minutes to their PR's out there, and my overall place was WAY higher than I expected (69th according to prelim results - my time last year would have barely cracked the top 200). Feeling even better, although my honest assessment is that the conditions added no more than 1 minute. I run somewhat well in chilly weather and wind. | 
