Dave gave me strict instructions to go out easy and below goal pace the first few miles. At trailbreaker I had broken the race into three segments, FIrst few miles easy, but at just about PR pace, Miles 3-10 at goal pace and push with whatever extra energy I had the last 3. So I thought I would give that strategy a go again because it had resulted in a PR.

First mile was slow going because of crowd. I was hoping for about 8:05 and got 8:24. Also my Garmin was reading a HR higher than I expected (about 160). So I was slower than I want to be and seem to be working harder than I should. I started to get nervous. I wanted to surge ahead to make up some time. However I kept hearing Dave in my head telling me not to start out too fast (if you you have ever had Dave in your head you know it can be a bit un-nerving). So mile 2 was about 8:05 and right on target with where I wanted to be for early miles. I told myself I would make mile 1's time up on the back end of the race. At mile 3 I finally gave myself permission to push pace up a notch. Miles 3 through 10 I plugged along at a pace between 7:50 and 8:00. The pace was pretty comfortable. My HR stuck arounf 160, which was a little high and made me nervous about blowing up late. However my RPE was comfy so I stopped worrying. I entertained myself by reviewing other people's form. (oh that guy needs to stand up straight... oh I wish that guy would stop clomping...what the hell is that guy doing with his arms?) About this time (about mile 8-9) I realized something was missing: the ladies. Somehow I had gotten in spot with only dudes. Now racing without pace booty is like a day without sunshine. I was hoping it was only a temporary situation. (During some later miles there did appear some rays of sunshine. ;))

Usually during these races I manage to screw up my hydration/ nutrition. Not today. I took two fuel belt bottles and took a drink at each aid station and when I was thirsty. I took two servings of shot bloks as well at 40min and 80 min. I have taken a preference to shot bloks over gels, except I found that are a lot harder to digest at 8 min/miles.

At mile 10 I kicked up my pace another notch. This used to be where my wheels would come off, but not anymore. My pace was now well below my goal pace (7:46, 7:43) When I got to final mile I decided to really kick it in. This started with an uphill segment. I used the other runners slouching and looking tired as motivation. I though about my hill workouts and training in Colorado and said this is where the payoff comes. I started moving past other runners. Pace for mile 13 was 7:30. I felt strong. In the last 1/2 mile or so, a guy behind me yelled up to me "hey what is your pace up there?" I looked at my Garmin and told him 7:18. Just then I looked over and saw Dave, who was cheering us in, and he yelled at me for looking at my watch and to just run it in. I turned back to the guy behind me and said "thanks, now you got me in trouble!" At this point I put the hammer down (last 10th avg 6:38) and crossed the line with a 2.5 minute PR.

Nothing really. Followed the plan perfectly and didn't blow up. That was so not like me.

walked around a bit, stretched out and then enjoyed some nice time with my friends


No taper.


Hats off to Midwest for making some good adjustments to course to deal with construction. Aid stations seemed well manned and stocked.

My running has made some huge leaps in the last year and so has my attitude. I now expect to PR. It was nice to stick to the plan and get the desired results. The flat course and cool temps also helped for sure. This was a very satisfying race, but it was just a step to the big prize of the year: Lakefront marathon. This race did give me a boost that I just might be able to hit my goals for that race.