Ran the first few miles with Dan. He was hoping for a faster pace than I had dreamed of, so when he pulled ahead around mile 4, I didn't try to keep up. Race your race. Had a hard time spotting mile markers early on, but passed a lot of people for a long time after the start. After mile 6, that slowed down, so I started choosing people to pick off. Kept that up through the end. I had a sub 2:00 half-mary as a long-term goal, but wasn't thinking that was a possibility for this race--I had seeded myself in the 2:08 estimated finish corral. When I passed the 12 mile marker at 1:48, I was astonished. Took gu at miles 4 & 8, and just water everywhere else. Probably could have used another gel late, as the last 1.1 mile was a bit of a challenge for the engine (maybe because I was trying to push a little harder). I repeatedly told myself "you can puke after you cross the finish line," "you can walk after you cross the finish line." Crossed the finish line happy. Hip flexors then immediately froze up--gotta love racing in cold, wet conditions! Was a bit woozy, but did not puke! :)

Take a gu at mile 10? They had aid stations every 2 miles, and mile 12 would have been too late.

Tried to walk. Given the conditions, "warm-down" was instantaneous. Stretching would have been futile, if not harmful. Ran into Dan again, and he looked good! Grabbed a few things to nibble on, and hobbled over to the car.


Due to work emergencies, I wasn't able to prep for this race the way I would have liked. Not enough sleep in the days leading up to the race--and I had to get up at 3:30 on race morning! Could have used some more calories along the way.


The race is well organized, with great volunteers. Given the conditions, I was even more grateful than usual for their efforts! Trying to get basic post-race food in the finish area was a bit of a mess. Some people were in line, others weren't, and the line moved extremely slowly--kind of miserable when you are cold and wet and just want to grab something to eat so you can get warm and dry. Doubt many folks stuck around for the post race activities.