I am pretty happy with how this race turned out. I wasn't sure how fast I'd be able to run since I haven't been doing a lot of speed/tempo's. My mileage has been decent with a couple weeks of 60+. My goal was to have fun and just push myself.
The weather was beautiful! I wore a tank top and a running skirt. I even got a little sunburn on my face (yahoo!). I ran this race last year and placed 2nd with a time of 1:24 but the course was short (my Garmin said 12.84...REALLY short). I heard the course had changed this year so I was expecting it to be closer to a true 13.1. My Garmin said 13.15 when I finished so I'm glad they changed it.
I went out with a big group of girls. At one point, I was in 6th or 7th place and decided to just focus on effort and time. I felt really good for the first 9 miles, then I hit the hill at mile 10...ouch. But I was able to muscle my way up it. This course is really challenging with a lot of downhill, rolling hills and some steep uphill towards the end. At mile 11, I had some gas in the tank and was able to pass a couple girls and move into 4th. The girl in 3rd place was just too far ahead of me so I wasn't able to catch her. When I crossed the finish line in 1:23:28 I was really happy. I PR'd and beat my time last year by about a minute (and the course last year was short). Emily ran a solid 1:22 and took 2nd. I was super proud of her but I could tell that she wasn't too happy about her time. Emily is such a strong runner and I really admire her drive and competitiveness. She is starting this season at such a good point...she's going to have some great races this year.
I feel so much stronger than I did last year. I have a lot more confidence and I feel like I'm training smarter than I ever have. Running with Emily has also made me a better runner. With that being said, I'm excited to see what I can do this year. I'd love to break 1:20!
Splits: 6:06, 6:10, 6:10, 5:55, 6:19, 6:27, 6:37 (a dog ran out in front of me and I had to stop. A big truck also pulled out in front of me and I had to wait a few seconds), 6:13, 6:39, 6:57 (big hill), 6:14, 6:25, 6:15, 5:57 (.1). 6:20 AP.
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