As of a couple of weeks ago I had no idea what we would use this race for - or what to expect from it. My running was crummy, I wasn't enjoying it, my hamstrings were screaming and me, and I was just burnt out. But things started to take a turn about a week or so ago and I began thinking that maybe I could really use this one to test my fitness.
There are 8 weeks to go until NYC...so it was a great time for such a test.
The race starts in Rockville, Maryland and ends in downtown Bethesda, Maryland - very close to where I live. It's kinda hard to see, but here is the course map:
Because I don't have a car, and metro doesn't open early enough, I had to take a taxi to the start. That was fine because once I finished I had a quick bus ride home while everyone else was shlepping back to metro to ride back up to their cars in Rockville. It worked out well.
I had a bit of frustration this morning when I realized that my Garmin was completely dead. Oops. I quickly got it on the charging cradle and called the cab company and asked if they could give me an extra 15 minutes. They obliged. Thankfully the 30 minutes I had it plugged in was enough. Not that I was completely wedded to my splits or time for this race, but we did have a bit of a plan, and my biggest fear was going out too fast. The first 2 miles of this race start with some pretty long downhills and it's easy to get carried away (which I may have anyway).
Our goal (mine and Wendy's, of course) was to see if I could maintain 8:45 pace - giving myself a couple of miles in the beginning to ease into it so as not to completely piss off my already irritable hamstrings. Well, the slower start went completely out the window with those downhills. I had forgotten that the course started this way and once I was on them, I wanted to take advantage. I have very strong quads and I don't worry about shredding them on hills like some people do...so I pretty much just charged down them. They weren't steep, but they were long, and, well, it felt good. After those first couple miles we headed into the park, onto the narrow paved trails that we would be on for the rest of the race.
This race has lots of hills, both up and down, but other than a couple of doosies, most of them are short lived and even kinda fun. Here is the elevation profile:
We've had major rain and flooding here for the past week, so we knew the trails would be messy in some spots. And they were. We definitely had to dodge some major mud slicks and puddles...but overall the terrain was pretty good, all things considered. I basically just charged along, trying to stay around 8:45 pace...
At around 8 miles I ended up running with a woman and she and I would push each other for the rest of the race. It was wonderful. I think each of us went through mini bad patches but, without saying we were doing so or really talking much at all, we pulled each other along. It stayed this way until the end - where she was able to pull away from me and beat me by a second or two...darnit! But really, I am so grateful I had her, especially in the last 3 miles...where there was one huge hill and we both committed to charging up it together. She truly helped me stay strong and focused...so thanks Katherine, whoever you are!
The whole race I knew I was working harder than I ever have in a half marathon. But I just decided that I would much rather crash and burn than wonder what it might have been like had I just gone for it. This wasn't a goal race of any kind...so who cares? So I just kept at it.
In the end I of course wished I had pushed harder in certain spots - but really, I can't complain. I have been eating crap and not really taking great care of myself for the past few weeks since my move, so I am pretty proud of myself for just going after it and coming up with (what I think is) a huge PR.
My previous PR was 2:02:32. Today I ran 1:54:55.
Given this, and considering I wasn't tapered, my hamstrings are just starting to come around, I had a couple of bad and almost nonexistent weeks of training, and I haven't been particularly great with my nutrition...the thoughts of going sub-4 at NYC are back.
There's clearly more work to do - but it seems like I might actually be back on track. I feel particularly hopeful because my legs felt absolutely fine afterwards - better than they have after some shorter, slower training runs. For that, I am pleased.
My Garmin is not speaking to my computer, apparently, but here are my splits: (Mid-race I wished I had turned off autolap, like I did in the marathon...as those tangents can be disheartening!)
Official Chip Time and Pace
1:54:55 (8:46 pace)
Watch Time and Splits
1-8:48
2-8:28
3-8:42
4-8:39
5-8:43
6-8:40
7-8:37
8-8:38
9-8:43
10-8:43
11-8:43
12-8:54
13-9:00
0.25-(1:33/6:12 pace)
Total: 1:54:58 (8:41 pace - for 13.25 miles)
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