Race Report - 2012 J Brians Tap Room 15k

Report:
Today's race went much better than expected. It was a last minute decision to run and I nearly bailed out at 3 this morning when I heard the torrential downpour going on outside. By the time I got up and out the door, things were looking better. By the time I was ready to run, I realized I was over dressed. Oh well, at least it didn't rain on me.

Race morning was pretty sedate. Rolled out of bed, snagged a small coffee, went to the bathroom, and arrived for packet pickup. Got my packet, went to the bathroom again, chilled out, then went to stand on the street corner like a doofus. Thankfully some fellow DailyMile friends arrived to make me feel even more like a doofus. Yep. Julia W. and Kris D. showed up with a friend and called me by name. And me? I promptly forgot their names. It wasn't until some time later that I realized who the hell they were. I mean, I recognized them, but could not remember what their name was. What kind of running friend am I? Clearly one that doesn't remember names. Biddi showed up a short time later as we chatted. Zach W. meandered around a bit too in the background waiting for the race to start.

Once they made the announcement, we all lined up and started swearing at Biddi. As usual she plops us down in the freaking front of the pack. What the hell?! I mean, we're up there in the front with the race winner and Zach (who placed 8th by the way, not too shabby there!). And us slow pokes are clogging up the road. Sheesh. And then, Biddi has the nerve to HAUL ASS the first mile and take us out at a 9:00 minute mile. WHAT THE HELL?! I was not saying nice things about her. Needless to say, I pulled over after the first mile and walked a minute.

I kept that same routine through the first 7 miles. Run a mile and walk a minute. It felt comfortable. No rush despite the mass of people passing me. No pains despite my big race last weekend (speaking of which, I spotted a HAT hat and shirt at the start - wohoo!). My fueling and fluids were decent but I had some mild bloat in the early miles. I think I chugged a bit too much water because I was thirsty and got a few too many bubbles from the foam.

The best part of the race though was the end. Through mile 3 I was feeling like ass. I was passed by Mr. Boyd who is a regular at many local races and is also a neighbor to my dad. I also graduated high school with his youngest daughter. Anyway, he passed me around mile three and I kept plugging away feeling lousy. Around mile five I was starting to perk up. By this time the old guy that always wears red is starting to creep up on me and passing me when I walk. The old guy in red is another regular at local races. Both he and Mr. Boyd have a nasty habit of flogging my ass when it comes to races. But not today. Dude in red was passed permanently around mile 6. Mr. Boyd came into view with about half a mile left and I was shocked. Truly shocked to see him. So I slowly increased my speed, ditched the extra fluids in my bottles that I didn't need, and made a bee-line for him. And passed him. Going up hill. And passed many others. Yup. I'm the asshole that passes you at the end. The fat asshole that sprints to the finish line just to beat you even though he won't win any prizes.

So with a solid 20 or so people passed in the last half mile or so I felt good. Caught up with the DailyMile gang as they drank beer, ate chicken wings, and talked shop. We snagged a picture (http://www.dailymile.com/people/Tabitha3/entries/14009906) and I was off for a day of shopping, errands, and yard work.

Weather:
Temps started around 50F but finished around 55F. Humidity felt higher than expected but it was likely because of the rain storms that moved through the area early this morning. The sun was out for most of the race. Pollen wasn't noticeable.

Fluids and Fuel:
Pre-race breakfast was a small can of Starbucks double espresso. During the run I had a bottle of Hammer Perpeteum with some Hammer Gel mixed in. My other bottle started with Hammer Fizz and I gradually watered it down over the course of the race. I stopped at two aid stations to refill my bottle with water. I think it was aid stations 2 and 3 (the ones at the tennis court). Recovery was Hammer Recoverite mixed with chocolate ZICO. Post-run breakfast was breakfast power sandwhich, bacon and spinach souffle, iced tea, and baguette.

Aches and Pains:
Aside from Biddi being a pain in my ass the first mile for making me run so damn fast, I felt fine. Nothing terrible, just the basic sluggish feeling in the early miles and loose-goosey in the later miles.

Gear:
Headphones were forbidden during the race but I just went out and enjoyed my surroundings. Once Kris and Biddi ran off after the first mile I had to find other ladies to stare at in front of me. Pickings were slim most of the time but I made do.I was wearing a beanie hat but tucked that before the start since I was feeling warm. I also wore arm sleeves that were eventually pushed down around my wrists like stockings on an old lady.

Codename - Back in the Saddle
It was nice to chill out during a run but still have the peer pressure there to keep me moving and keep me motivated. I had zero plans on setting a PR, zero plans on running hard, and zero plans to "race" the race. I just wanted to get back on the horse and ride the wave and have fun.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 9:06 (waaaaaay too fast)
Mile 2 - 10:48 (slowing down to a comfortable pace)
Mile 3 - 11:07
Mile 4 - 11:20
Mile 5 - 11:09
Mile 6 - 11:10
Mile 7 - 10:48 (time to start negative splitting)
Mile 8 - 10:38
Mile 9 - 9:57 (time to beat the old dudes)
Finish - 1:38:48 (PR by about 4 minutes!)