Believe to Achieve

This race was added on for a boston qualifier.  I just had my daughters wedding and working full time and not much time to squeeze in long runs but got in an 18 miler one monday, then 20 following monday then 10 days later on a friday a 21 miler which didn't go too well after three shifts in a row and forgetting to drink.  Also my piriformis acted up for like 10 days.  After that long run I did freedom 10 k and did well oddly.  Then did four days later Hobbler half, also doing well.   I did a pretty decent 17 miler up and down af canyon from the caves up to tibble back to kims house on July 13, 11 days before race.  The 21 mile last three mile death march was on June 30 so 24 days before race.  I didn't taper and ran 8 miles all the week before race and week before that when I wasn't workinig.  This race in my mind was just training run.  The impending heat wave made it feel more like survival of the fittest.  Got up at 3 am. slept 5 hours.  to bus at 4 am.  last bus and we waited a while then driver took wrong turn so got to top with 15 min to spare before start.  Wore my kangaroo pack with three gus in it and 6 chewable salt tabs.   Drank a water and a gatorade at every aide station, think missed water at one.  Took gu at mile 7/14/21.   Sweaty at start in butt crack area.  And chest.  some cool spots in the air temp as we decended but mostly muggy.   got cooler near mile 11-15.  Muggy again out of canyon.  Brief panic attack at the turn out of canyou.  Felt like 10 more miles was a lot of work for how i was feeeling aerobically.  Just slowed down to keep heart rate happy.  Accidentally hit lap button at 0.18 miles in to see pace in the dark so all my miles are off until I hit lap again at mile22 and then I was directed off course at milee 25.5 and redirected back on with lots of panic self talk and aloud to spectators of parade.  felt hopeless in that last mile and felt as though I was crawling. Most likely pace was 9 but took 10 for stopping and asking where to go. So lost a minute there.  

0.31 7:31

1.31  6:54

2.31 6:54

3.31  6:59

4.31 7:28

5.31  7:45

6.31  8:14

7.31  8:48

8.31  9:09

9.31  7:44

10.31  7:37

11.31  7:42

12.31  7:41

13.31  7:34

14.31  7:46

15.31   7:41

16.31   7:59

17.31  8:19

18.31  8:19

19.31  8:02

20.31  8:26

21.31  9:10

22 (HIT LAP)  0.82 MILES  8:41  pace

23  9:18

24  9:21

25  9:23

26   10:12 (off course, stopping asking, panicking)

I had done this course in 2015 as a 3:45 pacer and we went this way and the cones were there for later diverting the course but I didn't realize that was for later not for those that met the time standard to be on parade route.   We were on parade route for 1.5 miles!!   So many spectators watching our final mile what a sight!

0.28  9:41 pace.  Man the last 10 k was just hard for me.  But better than the 21 training run!!

3:36:44.  Qualified by over 28 min.