Anyway... I still really like this course. It's hilly, yes... but challenging, and familiar from many a training run up and down those hills.
Today was... well, I had a decent time - 1:06:11. I PRed by a minute and 19 seconds. That's always a plus. And it's PR #4 for the year. I'm happy about that. If I can pull off another one at Decker in December, then I will have stamped a new PR on all the "standard" distances in 2014 (woo-hoo!) But I'm getting a little ahead of myself there.
Today was... well, Kinda sucky, as far as the race itself went. I'm not really complaining - races are supposed to hurt. If you end a race without some discomfort, then chances are pretty good (I'd say about 100.0000%) you weren't running your finest.
It's just that I was expecting "half marathon hurt" today. Instead, I got a big dose of "5k hurt" (and no, it isn't because I accidentally ran the 5k race instead of the 10-miler). For those who don't know what I am talking about - the difference is the limiting factor. For me personally, the last few miles of a good half marathon are usually muscle-hurt miles (I say usually, because it's not always that way). My body hurts. It's my muscles that are limiting how fast I can run. But I can will myself through that kind of pain, and just push until the end.
In a 5k though... It's usually (again, not always) breathing that hurts. It's when my lungs are on fire and my head is hurting - it is just a completely different kind of pain. I can tolerate it effectively for short bursts - 1/2 mile, or a mile maybe. In a 5k, it's the last 2 miles, and I usually burn up at the end. I admire the people who can go out there and tear through a 5k. I'm not one of them, because I still haven't figured out how to deal with that brand of misery for the required length of time.
...and as I already mentioned, that's where I was at today. The first 6 miles or so weren't bad. My legs felt a little sleepy through the hills, but I was hanging in there. Somewhere after the 6th mile I started pushing myself harder, expecting to start feeling some pain in my legs. My legs seemed ok with it though. So I pushed harder, and pretty quickly I was deep in 5k, head-throbbing, lung-burning hell. With.. about a 5k to go.
I pushed, and pushed on it. There were friendly faces encouraging me - Gabe once again, Alicia, G Cas, Mandy (who can deal with the 5k pain, and did awesome today!), James, Amy (ARMS BILL!), Mark, and other voices cheering for 'Bill', whom I didn't manage to connect to a face. Running directly into the center of the sun wasn't helping matters there - note to future self: actually bring sunglasses to this one next time.
Anyhow, I am making a short story long - I was really, super happy to be done with this one. There was no heroic speed-up at the end. I am happy to see that I didn't manage to fall completely apart (according to my splits, though given another mile...). I am happy that I ran negative splits. I am happy that I PRed. And yeah, I will come back again, because I really do like the course.
OH! And the socks! That's two races in a row! I didn't mention the socks in my Twin Cities race report. They went on their maiden voyage in the race today. So far, out of all the races I've done in the last 8 or 9 years (something like 40-50?), there have only been three that decided socks were a cool race souvenir: Motive Half 2006, Twin Cities Marathon 2014, and Run for the Water 10-mile 2014. Yes, I am counting. I understand that a t-shirt is infinitely better at advertising for all of your sponsors, but if you want to get more runners showing up at your race in the first place, give them socks. Other runners will see these socks and be envious that they didn't do the race that gives out socks. It doesn't matter if the socks are ugly. If you give them socks, the runners will return, and multiply. (Yes, backpacks are pretty cool too, Austin 2010).
That's all I really have to say. The numbers:
Official Time - 1:06:11
Overall - 64th
Age Group - 15th
G-o-M Splits - 6:38, 6:42, 6:41, 6:47, 6:34, 6:46, 6:40, 6:23, 6:23, 6:31, 0:07