Started feeling perfect. First 2 miles - 7:58 pace. Miles 3 to 4 - 8:03 pace. Miles 5-6-7 - 8:10 to 8:16 pace. Mile 8...8:26...mile 9..8:29.....and that's about the end of the story. Got progressively worse from there. I think I went out just fine, and my pace was in definite sync with my HR zones. I was supposed to be running sub-threshold, which is 178, and I was hovering right around 170-173 for about 5-6 miles.
Had a plan to take gels at 45 and 90 min. I took the first one, which was around mile 6 I think (wanted to wait till there was water available). It started to really get bad after the halfway mark though. I'm not sure exactly why, because my HR actually went DOWN from there. I tried to tell my legs to pick it up because I know my engine could handle it. The cardio was never the point - it was the goddam legs!! I started to get blisters, even though I used the Body Glide on my feet, my quads felt like they were shrinking as I ran. I have never felt that kind of leg pain before. Quads all the way up to hip flexors were miserably tight, and I could not get them to move like I wanted to. I pressed on through it, didn't walk at all, but I was hating life for the last 5 or 6 miles. I was on pace for a 1:44 race, and by all practical purposes, I should have hit that easily with my conditioning thus far. The whole run was on concrete paths, which may have negatively affected me as well - that's quite a beating to take.
i guess I shouldn't complain too much, it's early season, and this run was my longest so far, at my hardest effort so far.

Definitely need to work on the upper portion of the legs. It's funny - what I thought would be limiting me, my right foot plantar fasciitis issue, and my calves - were perfect! But I think I realized that I have been neglecting the stretching and conditioning of the rest of my legs, focusing only on the parts that have been giving me trouble. Well - live and learn huh? Feel like SHIT today, legs are killing me, I have TWO black toes, a mondo blister, and a sunburn to boot! Why does it always take one or two events to pull my head out of my ass and remember how to do this stuff?? I really gotta spend more time in my newly defined training zones as well. I have been training too high, and I think my legs were just pissed off yesterday. My mind and cardio system said "GO! You got this! We feel great!!" My legs' response -- "FUCK YOU"...

Sitting on the curb, trying not to cry from my legs hurting so much. Pretty much collapsed underneath me at the finish. Very telling on my strength and stretching regimen (or lack of) for the big muscles in the legs.
Free beer, crappy undercooked hamburgers, and a massage followed.


Legs - quads and flexors, specifically. Will definitely spend more time developing and nurturing them.


Shouldn't bitch too much. Had an 8:30ish pace, but I really wanted 8 or better. It is early on, and this was definitely an eye-opener for me. I have to spend more time in the lower zones, and focus on maintaining muscle fitness in more than just my calves. I've been so deadset on getting my PF better that I kinda forgot I have other muscles to deal with. Next race will smoke though...I feel it!