I went out hard at the start to establish as fast a pace as I could while going up the hill. I wasn't feeling bad, but I really wasn't in top form. I seemed to struggle with getting into a smooth rhythm. It was hard to gauge the effort because the hill was causing me to breath hard and raise the heart rate.

I was right up front, but the really fast guys pulled away and one by one the other fast runners started slipping by me. I hadn't blown up; just settling in to my race pace (7:00-7:15).

Not much to comment on: There was no scenery, so I just kept my head down and focused on the pain of pushing hard. I finally established my typical breathing and striding pattern, but I was never able to fully recreate that race mojo I had in Houston back in January.

I remember totally missing getting water at the first water station because the girl had it so full and she moved just as I flew by. Water just sprayed everywhere. No biggie; there'd be another station in a couple miles and hydration wasn't going to be a major issue today.

I remember a side stitch at mile 5 because I rarely get these. I continued to breath hard and it passed away within a couple of minutes.

I remember "missing" mile marker #7 and being surprised when I saw #8. It's always nice when you've gone a little farther than you thought you have.

I remember hearing the distinctive "slap-slap-slap" of a young guy running in Vibram 5-Fingers as he passed me about mile 9.

I remember 2 girls passing me at mile 10, and then I re-passed them, and then they re-passed me for good at mile 11. And 1 of the girls had the weirdest gait with her feet flinging from side to side. It looked bad, but she made it work for her. (When I say "girls"; they were 15yo... I checked the results.)

I remember a 30-something guy passing me at mile 12 and saying, "Come on Ironman, let's finish this." (He was referring to my M-dot tat.)

I remember kicking strongly up that last 3/4 mile to the finish.

I remember the announcer pronouncing my name 98% correctly as I crossed the finish line.

Nothing. I ran as hard as could for 13.1 miles. I'd put out a solid Z3-4 effort the whole way.

Splits:
1-3 = 20:31
4-6 = 22:12
7-9 = 22:17
10-12 = 23:01
Final 1.1 = 8:23

I never really faded, but I did slow down chugging up those hills between miles 6 and 12 and I'll admit it.

I was very sweaty, but the breeze cooled me off quickly. It didn't take long for a chill to set in.

Got a sports drink and walked around looking for any older guys that finished ahead of me. Found one guy who'd beat me, but he was in the 55-59 AG. Chatted with him a bit; he's been to Boston 3 times and said it's the best race he's ever been to. Outstanding.

Hmmm? I wondered how I'd done in the AG?? I didn't think I'd won, but I knew I was FOP for sure. Once they posted the preliminary results I saw that I had finished 3rd in the AG and 32nd overall; hey that's pretty good!

1st and 2nd place had run 1:30's, so even if I'd run a 1:33, I still would have been 3rd. Interestingly, my time would have won the 45-49 AG and been second in the 55-59 AG. The guy who finished 2nd in my AG was from Florida. Now who comes from Florida to run a medium sized race?


I hadn't really "trained" or tapered for this race and I'm maybe not fully recovered from my Rocky Raccoon trail run in February. And I'm still on the training schedule for Boston anyway.

All of that being said; I'm very pleased with the result.

I'll still need to find a "flat & fast" course for a true PR attempt.


I rated this race a 4 based on the fact that it's a good, basic race. It's a certified course, accurate mile markers, plenty of volunteers, good traffic control, and a decent finisher's medal. If you want anything more; don't come here.

Cheap swag in the race packet (chap stick and sunglasses strap), the t-shirt is some funky technical fabric that stays wrinkled regardless of how it's washed and dried, AG awards go 1 deep. Post race food is bagels, oranges, bananas, crackers, water, and sports drink.

I'm not complaining; I already have all the t-shirts, water bottles, hats, medals, shoe laces, etc. etc. that I can possibly need or use. They save their money and give it to their charity; I'm cool with that.

This is the 4th year of this race and it gets bigger every year. They also run a 5K at the same time, so that's where they get the "Dash" part of the name.

All I want is an honest race; and that's why I gave it a 4.