How was it... In a couple words? Very Good!
In more words? Let me recount:
As usual, left the house a bit frazzled, but thought I had everything and would make it shortly before packet pickup ended. Thankfully that was true.
Got my bib and headed into the office for a few minutes, before this mandatory meeting at 8:35.
That meeting turned out to be 8:45 and didn't have any new info.
Back in the office at 8:50, took off the sweatpants, went with shorts. put on my spibelt with bib and honey in the pocket, Had compression short sleeve, and 2 long sleeve technicals on and the gloves, put my phone in the armband. Headphones around my neck, not in my ears. Tomtom on one arm for pace (set to a graph with a 10 minute mile baseline), Pebble on my other arm for starting Runkeeper and to control music.
Out the door and to the startline, literally about 1 minute before we took off. Amazing what a NICE 32 degrees is compared to a windy 40 I had the week before. Or maybe it's just cause it's race day... Didn't need the gloves. Left them on for a mile, then they just got stuffed in my short pockets.
Of course at the start I still have no clue how fast I'm going. I started out and was like "I feel fine", look at my watch and I'm running like 8's... "Uhh, is this gonna feel fine in another 10 miles?" So I slowed myself back a bit, but was still under 10 minutes. (Remember that it was just about 11 minute miles for my last training, so logically, this sounds really questionably fast to me...)
Interesting to see down one of our city's main Streets as the race started out. I'd later find out there was only about 60 people for the Half. But, there was a large group in front of me, and I just kinda held as the last one in that pack. But after a few miles, I wasn't sure how many people were behind me(probably about 10), but they disappeared. "Did I miss something, am I last? No, they said there would be a Trooper driving behind the last one and he's not back there either."
Basically just looked at my watch and the water stops, if it was about 20 minutes, I took a hit of honey right before the water stop and then grabbed a water. That is one heck of a pro-tip about squeezing the top of the cup so that you can drink on the run!
I had also been walking for like 30 seconds on each of my 20 minute breaks for training. The most I slowed down was to pick up water which did seem difficult to grab the cup, but I kept moving! Didn't need a bathroom break either!
Thankfully the return trip was downhill(minimal hills either direction), but I was feeling it more after around the 10 mile mark. But kept going.
Around 10 miles was also where I was going to put my headphones on and get some music to push me faster, but something happened at about that point as well because the headphones just shut off and my phone started yelling out the runkeeper announcement of miles, pace, etc. So I turned down the volume on the phone, gave up on the headphones and for periods where I was alone, I played some music from the phone speaker.
Also took off my top shirt around mile 11. Not bad if I do say so myself to not stop running, but get it untucked from two watches, take off my armband, get the shirt off, armband back on and tie the shirt around me!
Passed another person in the last couple miles, and pulled out a speedier more like 9 minute mile at the end!
Ohh, I made it to the front page of the paper! (barely!)
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