With that build up to the race, I give you what will quite possibly be the shortest race report I have ever posted on this blog:
Saturday, 3:15 AM. Get up, get dressed.
4:00 AM. Get in the car for a 2 hour drive to the race. (bonus points for being frugal and not staying at a hotel).
6:00 AM. Arrive at race after pit stop at a gas station for some much needed caffeine and what I thought might be my last chance to use a real restroom as opposed to a port-o-potty.
6:30 AM. Registration opens. Pick up bib, enjoy warmth of the museum / airplane hangar as it was 25 degrees outside.
7:30 AM. I ask a nearby runner if there is a bag drop. To which they laugh and reply “just leave your bag in your chair, it will be fine”. Did I mention this race was small?
7:55 AM. Head outside for race start. My face is freezing off. It is still 25 degrees.
8:00 AM. Race start. After only waiting 5 minutes in the cold we are off. No corrals, just get in line and go. I love small races. Face still freezing off. Scan ground for discarded ski mask I could put on. Around mile 7, I finally let go of the gloves and started to warm up. Thankfully, it was sunny out.
10:10 AM. Glance at my Garmin and realize I am on track to PR by a few minutes if I can keep up my current pace. The math games in my head began. (If a runner headed north at approximately 6 mph stops 5 seconds for a cup of water and slows to take in more than one GU gel with a wind blowing at 10-15 mph, at what time will she arrive at the finish line?) I knew it was going to be close.
12:09 PM. Finish line. PR by a little over 2 minutes and 3rd place AG. Crazy. Did I mention my marathon PR was from 2009? I haven’t come within 30 minutes of it since then.
1:00 PM. Fold myself up into the car and head home still in a state of shock over the new PR. Stopping as needed to update facebook status.
The end.
24 comments:
Congrats on the new PR!! Sounds like all your hard work finally paid off!
Wow, congratulations! Nothing like a sneak PR!
Wow, congratulations! Nothing like a sneak PR!
Woohoo! Congrats on your PR!!! Love the comic! I sent it to my sister a while back!
That's awesome!! Congrats on the PR. I do those math games in my head all the time!!
Wow, 4:09 for a PR? Well done! I set a PR saturday too. But if it's 2 hours away, sorry, I'm getting the hotel room.
I enjoy some marathon math for a few miles because it helps as a distracter. Congrats on the PR!
Congratulations on your PR! That is a great time.
Awesome! What a great job! Congrats on the PR and I love that cartoon! :)
I had about a 1.5-2 hr drive when I did the Derby marathon. When I had to get up ridiculously early I was regretting not getting a hotel, but it wasn't that bad. The drive home was worse, haha. Achy legs!
WOW! Small race but amazing time. Congrats on the sexy new PR. Glad to hear you were being safe when updating the FB status. :)
Congrats on the new PR!! Sounds like a great, low-key event!
Best marathon report ever! Great great news! You must be on cloud nine.
Congrats on the PR!
Awesome for driving to that. All that sitting and you probably wanted to run then. Congratulations on the PR!!!
Must have been especially exciting since you felt unprepared, but found that your hard work paid off with a 3rd place AG and a PR, too!
You are on fire! You've got such an impressive base that you shouldn't ever be nervous about races any more.
Congratulations on the new PR - that is super impressive.
Congratulations on the 3rd place AG Finish as well.
Remember, there's nothing you cannot do!
Way to go!!! Those are the best races, when you just feel good and surprise yourself. I'm really getting the marathon bug again, reading so many people's recaps lately from Houston, too. :)
Sometimes the ones you feel least prepared for are the best - maybe because you aren't stressing about them! :) Congrats on the PR AND the placing... that's awesome!
HOLY CRAP! Great job and great time!
(BTW, your K-Dub Challenge sort of inspired me to start one of my own)
Congratulations on the new PR! Hooray!
Congrats on your PR! and love the cartoon at the end of your post :)
Nice!! That is very impressive. You know, some of my best races have been after lacklustre training runs. I wonder what that's all about?
Barbara
My Running Shortz
Are you still smiling? CONGRATS and way to go. There is no better feeling than a PR. Small races are so different than the big ones! They can be so nice.
CONGRATS, CONGRATS! Best feeling!
Congrats on your PR! However, I'm more impressed with driving down there that morning!!! Wow - long day. I did this race also (but got to stay at my daughter's house in Macon the night before)...
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