On Wednesday, I wrote down my time goals (you can even see them in my blog) with the splits I'd have to hit if I was to reach my goal in this race.

3mi - 20:30
6.25mi - 42:30
9mi - 1:01:30
12mi - 1:22:30
13.1mi - 1:30:00

Being near the front of the pack starting out, I got a good jump on my goals. I hit the first mile under 7:00 without struggle. I was feeling optimistic about the day, despite the constant rain and sloppy wet road conditions. After 3 miles I was right on target, but noticed that my garmin said I had already run 3.08mi before I even hit their mile marker. (That would continue throughout the race, and eventually my watch said the race was 13.26mi long.)
At the 6.25mi point where my wife was waiting for me at the marathon-relay check-point, I was dead-on again. My effort level at that point was high, but sustainable. I was holding back just slightly.
By 9mi, I was still at my goal pace, but very anxious for the turn, and looking forward to the downhill stretches towards the finish. I had taken a gel at mile 7, so I was enjoying the boost, and I still felt really good. I was only slightly worried about blistering feet, so my overall status was excellent. Hips, knees, feet, gut... all good.
The front of the race was really spread out by this point, and I ran by myself for the longest time. There were 2 guys in front of me - one 75yds in front of me, and another 50yds beyond that. Mile 12 was quick, hitting 6:30's because I was so excited to be feeling awesome at the end of the race. I really pumped up as I got closer and closer to the reality of beating my best-day-ever race goal. Mile 13 was even better. I dug deep, fixed my posture, increased my turnover, and churned out a 6-flat pace to the finish. I made up a lot of ground by passing the first guy, and getting shoulder-to-shoulder with the second.
We came through the finish line at a balls-out dead sprint, and the crowd seemed to erupt just for us. And I actually heard my name announced for once, which was a great.
After crossing the line safely, I stopped my watch. "1:30:00" exactly. What a day! There is something to be said for the power of suggestion, and the benefits of putting goals on paper. I will continue the habit of challenging myself this way.

I would look up more! I was so focused on choosing good footing (rather than a puddle), that I forgot to glance at the skyline once in a while to take in the scenery.

Consumed food and beer with my friend who finished a couple mintues behind. I got cold pretty quickly, so I went to the car to get changed into warm, dry clothes.


Nothing.


The course is interesting, given the change in elevation, landmarks, turns, etc. It helps keep things fresh. The only thing they could have done was order better weather! All in all, a quality race, with a good longsleeve technical shirt that I'll be proud to wear in public.