Hi!
Time is ticking, less than 5 weeks until IM Florida! On Sunday (Oct 3) I raced in Picton, at the PEC Half Marathon. I am growing to love this race, because its a sweet course, really close to lots of Jodie's family and my parents and also has a great finish line crew that is headed up by my coach and many other good friends!
I'm gonna do this report a little different and just go for a play by play summary. Ready, Set, Read:
- Race morning. I was ready to go. It had been months since I've done a race and I was eager to see what the hard work in training had yielded for improvement. I had set a benchmark of breaking 1:30 for the race, but thought a 1:28-1:26 was a really good window to shoot for. Secretly, I had hoped to get as close to 1:25xx as possible, but never thought anything beyond that.
- Got to the start area plenty early and the weather was nice and cool. My uncle Lindsay decided to celebrate his 55th birthday with another race, so he decided to tow the line, fresh off his Boston Qualifying effort last Sunday at the Toronto Marathon!
- We warmed up, and I noticed that the wind was blowing pretty strong and appeared that it was going to be in our face for most of the final 12-14km's of the course (boo).
- Based on last years results, I noticed there were only 12 or so people who went under 1:30, so when it was time to get in the starting coral I made sure I got near the front of the crowd. There were around 630 or so people racing, and I placed myself about 3 rows back from the start.. just behind a guy running in bare feet - crazy.
- 10am Go! We're off and it feels so good! I love this. A group of 4-5 guys get out a little ahead of me, and then I fall in behind another group of 3. I don't want to go out too fast. Being conservative, I'm thinking I should not be under 4' (min) for the first km. First km goes by in 3:55. Ok, that felt too easy for a sub 4' effort....I can't hold that for the race, can I? Don't panic, keep it smooth and watch the next couple of splits.
- Kilometers 2-6 go by, and each time I am under 4'/km. 3:48, 3:49, 3:54, 3:57, 3:52. Ok, I think I am dosing my effort fairly well, but still can't believe I'm running this pace. I have passed a couple of runners and have been shadowing a guy in blue shorts. He is breathing a bit harder than I, and I am feeling good. I know now, I have banked some good time, well under pace of what I was thinking pre-race and now I may have a chance to break 1:25, cool. 4' km's would give me a 1:24, but I was anticipating some fade in the second half of the run with the strong headwind and a couple of hills in the final km's.
- Around 8 or 9km, a guy runs up on me and 'blue shorts' guy. He would be the only guy to pass me for the race. He says, 'what are you guys aiming for?'. I answer with a smile, 'survival', and you? (I wasn't hurting bad yet, but I was changing my race target as a ran, so I didn't know what else to say :-). He then says, I'm going for 1:22. I replied, well if I can see you most of the race, I'll be happy. This guy then begins to pull away slowly and I got carried along by his pace for a bit. This created distance between me and the 'blue shorts' guy, but I knew I could not go with the 1:22 guy.
- Km's 10-17. I was now in a 'no mans land'. Blue shorts guy was out of ear-shot somewhere behind me, and the other guy was slowly pulling away. I was by myself, and had to focus. Keep the effort constant, and stay relaxed. Small crowds along the way helped keep the spirits high, and gave me a good boost.
- Around 18km we approach the biggest hill of the course. I know its gonna hurt. Keep the stride short, quick turnover, and stay relaxed. I spot the bare foot runner ahead, and notice I'm closing in. He becomes my target, and as we go up the hill I manage to go past him. I crest the hill, my heart pounding, back down the hill and I take a few deep breaths to gather myself for the final push. I have had a few km's that were slower pace, as the hills and headwind took some time back from me.
- 19-21km. The last 2 km are right downtown Picton. The main street is close, and there are locals all along the way, watching and cheering. I am pushing the pace as best I can and with each step I am working to get under that new goal of 1:25. Its gonna be close, but I can't be bothered to look at my watch anymore. All the energy goes into running. Breathing hard, I'd love to smile and thank the people for the support, but I am focused.
- 500 meters to go, and I am catching a guy who was running the marathon. I'm working hard and I know he is too. I yell ahead to him, " we're almost there, don't stop now. Come on, take me home, I'm on ya!" The motivation works.. he lifts his pace, and I do my best to stay with him. The crowds deepen in the closing meters and I know my parents and other family are out there, but all I can hear is my pounding heart and lungs breathing hard as I make the push for the finish line. I cross the line in 1:24:31, averaging 4:01/km for the race. I placed 6th overall, and 2nd in M30-39. This was a huge run PB for me. I was greeted at the finish by my coach and friends and shared in some big high fives and hugs! It was a great day and I was so glad to be able to share it with people who are close to me and support my efforts.
Thanks for reading. Time to get back at it...3 big weeks of training to go, and then taper time!!
Cheers,
Jon
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