Don’t know? Well, I would say having a good memory (or a blog!!!) made the difference this time. I’ll tell you how.

I had been dreading this race all week because of the weather. I even figured I could “oversleep“. But that would leave JohannaTS waiting in the corner at 5 am. Then I thought maybe I could “pretend” to run it and tell everybody my chip didn’t work… Ah, OK, I set these goals myself, can’t lie to myself, I AM running. GRRR.

Against my will, I met Johanna at 5 am and the train was really crowded with runners, which I always think is strange and cool. I found Blaise in our corral and we both knew we wouldn’t try to go out “fast”. I was determined to NOT race, it’d be an easy pace for me thankyouverymuch. If I wasn’t going to PR, then why suffer the whole way? If I go slow enough, this could be ok. And I figured this would be our “summer moonsoon”. We did a 16 mile run in February in the middle of a monsoon, crazy winds, downpour, cold, and ITBS (I like it rough post), but after that day, every run I did with the ITBS was cake. This could be our new “hot summer” standard!!!!!

So we set off together, mile 1 was 8:04. He thought that wasn’t bad as he had wanted to stay in the low 8s, but I knew then that there was no way I could hold that pace for the rest of the race. So, he went, and I slowed down. The course had a few outs-and-backs and I got to see a lot of my friends out there (even fellow loopster BattleSoul), which always keeps me entertained. Of course I shouted at every one I recognized, but I got passed a lot. Like, a LOT. Then I had a thought: they were not passing me; I was letting them go. I was just trying to enjoy the race and I needed to slow down even a bit more, my heart rate monitor said so. By mile 3, there were already people walking or collapsing left and right. Then a genius thought popped in my head: if I had been able to run easy and relaxed in Boston, how would I not be able to do it here, when the weather is horrible and I have nothing to lose??

Just like that, my body gave in and relaxed. I found my rhythm and I was fine. I was stopping for water and Gatorade in every single mile and taking my old sweet time, thanking the volunteers and cheering on the runners. I didn’t have to walk once, which is usually my problem in hot races. And between the water cups I was pouring on myself and the sprinklers… I had never run so drenched in my life! This wasn’t so bad. I felt like the Queen of the world for conquering my body and being able to pace myself smartly.

Then Blaise appears from behind, seems like I had passed it at some point, but he was struggling and couldn’t stay with me. I finished really strong, way under 8 mm for the last two miles, which made me really really happy. I got to pass a couple of women I had run with for most of the race to finish 7th in my age group. Finish time was 1:49:30, five minutes slower than my PR (but most people were at least 10 or 15 minutes off their PRs); and an average pace of 8:22, which is closer to marathon pace. But today, I took it all as a major WIN.

I jogged around a bit after the race, I still had tons of energy. Not a surprise, I had a huge bowl of pasta and a full jar of dulce de leche for dinner. Nutella, you’ve met your match!!!!

The Old Spice moment you know was coming: I always find that all those things I dread the most end up surprising me, in a really good way. I am very happy I showed up to this challenge today. And I am very proud that I was able to hold back and pace myself  in a smart way. I think that’s my biggest accomplishment in my running this year. I am, obviously, on a horse!

Horse needs some water and rest today. We’re off to the trails upstate tomorrow for a few hours of running. Need to speed-recover: ice-bath, refueling, and major napping. Ah, the post-race high!

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Not so dear 2010 Summer,