Did I Get A New PR??

This was supposed to be a "fun" race. It was a very early start... 7am. Once again, I was hanging out, but not late this time. My alma mater destroyed UConn last night, so me and some friends watched the game at Fridays. I had a handful of these coupons for 1 cent appetizers and antrees BOGO for $1. We had a feast!!! LOL. I was STARVING because I didnt eat anything the entire day but a bowl of cereal. I knew I would regret it in the morning, but it was all good.

Breakfast was cereal and some strawberries. I took a Oatmeal bar just in case. I downed a Ripit Power Drink like 30 minutes from the start and a Gu just prior. So I'm sure I'm fueled ok. This race has grown tremendously from last year. I had on my Tangent 3's for the second time in as many marathons. Just prior to the start, I was "going" to go to restroom, but I ran into an old college friend that I hadn't seen in like 15 years!! She was doing the half. So we chatted until the gun. I was like "oh man... i gotta pee!!!" LOL.

This was a very uneventful race thru the first 7 miles. It felt sooo good. The half marathoners turned around at this point and left us to complete the out and back. Mile 10 I hit at 1:17:xx and I thought to myself "That was not bad at all, I'm barely even working". So at that point, I decided that I would go for time. One thing... I had to pee!! I thought I would jump in the bushes at the 13.1 turnaround, but it was just too congested still... I deserve a lil privacy thank you!!

The "back" had a headwind from hell!! When I got to mile 15, I saw I was on 3:25:xx pace. I was like, "I can do this". But after that I lost all sense of milage. It was a blur... I kept Gu'ing and drinking just so I wouldn't bonk. I think around mile 15 I tried to get a portajon, then this slow guy coming "out" like at mile 11 beat me to it. So I trodded on. Somewhere like mile 17 I just said the heck with it... ran into the bushes and had what you would call a 8-ball piss, LOL. I could care less about time right then... but I felt better. But it was SOOOOO HARD getting back to a start from a complete stop.

There was this obnoxious boy that started drafting me, I go left, he go left, i go right, he go right, so I slowed down just a tad and he passed and drafted the next guy. This guy literally moved to the other side of the street to avoid the twirp, and he followed. Some words were exchanged and the boy took off to the next person. That's kinda cheating but oh well... he should allow others to draft him for a while... tit for tat!!

Mile 18 I started losing it. My lack of long runs showed its face, plus the wind. All kinds of things started going thru my head...
* Run tall
* Dont overstride, it causes braking motion
* Lean into the downhill
* How am I going to run up THIS hill
* Keep those legs moving, youre not tired!!
* Gu Gu Gu... water water water... Gatorade PLEASE!!
* Run in a pack
* My Garmin keeps beeping telling me I'm running too slow
* Ok, I'm ready for this to end, its not fun anymore

The course was not that bad, it barely had a net change in elevation, it was just full of rollers. (y do i always get those races). Mile 22 (where my Detroit meltdown occured), was a psychological challenge. By this time, I just could not pick up the pace... I tried choppy steps to increase turnover, I tried muscling it out, but it just wasn't happening. And at this time, my feet HURT!!! It hurt to try to speed up. Next marathon, I'm wearing my Brooks Adrenalines... so what if its a little heavier, I need the support!! So I look at the watch... Hmmm... I think I can PR this if I can just hang on!! It was going to be close, I was at 2:56:00 and trying to fade fast!! Mile 24 we run on blacktop thru the woods. There are walkers EVERYWHERE and they would not move. This was really ticking me off. The couple of hills in this 2 mile stretch were worse than a XC race!! I'm talking nearly strait up (but only for about 100 meters) and it saps you.

Mile 25, the Garmin reads 3:22:25. I'm thinking "I should be almost finished with this... and I got 1.2 miles to go". I had just ran the worst mile patch of the morning... 9:00 flat from 24-25. I was SOOO ready to stop. I had been running with a guy in a yellow shirt for the last 7 miles but he was a good 100 meters ahead of me. I'm thinking "10 minutes more... u gotta do it!!" Then there is a downhill... steep!! I'm like "yes" now I can pick up speed, which I did... got back down to a 8:02 pace. No sooner as I speak, the biggest steepest hill of all!!! I was literally PO'd. Why would they do this at the end of the race?? I just dug in and put all of my guts into it... it was guts from here on out, and my PR was looking gloomy! My mantra (again) was "rest at the finish you lil punk!!" Given my physical state, I gave it my all!!

I turn the corner and its a 200 meter strait-a-way to the finish!! 1st thought... "sprint it in", but my legs were saying "Uh uh!!". I saw the time 3:32:xx... no way was I going to let it slip away!! I hobbled and strained and grunted all the way in. I swear my form sukked!! Looked like I was in some Ronald McDonald shoes trying to run. At last I cross... Garmin says 3:33:17 A NEW PR!!!! Wow, I was so amazed, because I took that pee break and I walked thru the last 2 water stations. Those are what killed my sub 3:30, but I'm happy. A fun-run turned into a PR.

My splits:
7:51
7:42
7:42 again
7:52
7:49
7:42 again again
7:47
7:52
7:44
7:42 again again again (and last time)
7:49
7:54
7:50
7:58 mile 14
8:01
7:53
8:00
8:53 (i think this was the pee break) mile 18
8:16
8:47 mile 20
8:19
8:29
8:35
8:51 XC part
9:00 XC part 2
8:41 mile 26
2:10 for last 0.26 mile (a 2 minute quarter... my old track coach would kill me)

Now I'm not the complainer, but I do have an admission. 1 week ago just before my half, I twisted my right ankle and it has been bothering me for real. Ran the half... still bothering me. I was not going to use it as an excuse or crutch, but I tell you... It is really hurting right now!!! So I get home to relax, and like 3 hours after the race, I get signed up for ANOTHER full marathon in 2 weeks called Glass City Marathon... hmm... i wonder who would do such a thing?? So I run on...