Race Weekend Recap

Birmingham is probably a cool city, but we didn't get to see much this weekend. It was also Valentine's Day so finding a restaurant on Saturday night was next to impossible. We finally found a place and managed to sneak up to the bar and eat. I mean, we HAD to be in bed by 10 (preferably earlier because I am old and sleepy). We opted not to drive the course on Saturday night because I really just didn't want to know. In the past that seems to have worked for me, but I think if I had to do it all over again, I would have driven it because then I wouldn't have taken off so fast and probably would have done a better job of pacing myself. The course was a doozy and the hills? Well, those were BRUTAL! Here's an elevation chart so you can see what I'm talking about.



I didn't exactly meet the time goal I had set for myself which was really anything better than Dublin, but I can't be too torn up over it considering the course. I came in right at 4:21:48, EXACTLY a 10 minute pace on average. I felt great nutrition-wise and stuck to my plan, but like I said, I didn't do the best job of pacing myself. My 10K pace was 8:42, 15K 8:51 and 25K 9:06, 30K 9:13 and then a 10 minute average overall. I may have been better off to take it easy on the front end. I should have been running around a 9:10 - 9:20 average for the full race, but felt so good for the first 12, I just didn't want to hold back. Probably should have. I felt like absolute garbage at the halfway point. Maybe it's because Birmingham is a loop and at 13.1 you are reminded of the fact that you have to do it ALL OVER AGAIN! Watching all of those half-marathoners pass me by for the finish line was slightly painful. Once I hit the 16 mile marker, I felt good again, but only for about four miles. 20 - 25 were hard and 25 - 26 were just impossible. Thankfully Johanna showed up around 25.5 and pulled me through to 26. I look pretty, pretty happy here crossing the finish line (photo credit to Emmit Martin).



Had I known how my legs would feel two hours later, I might not have been smiling so big! My legs hurt like they've never hurt before! I still can't believe Tilghman, Amy and I managed to fly back from Europe less than 24 hours after we ran in Dublin. That might not have been possible after yesterday.

I did learn a few things this weekend...first, is that I have to be better at pacing myself, especially now that I'm running faster than I ever have; second is that I will be running my next marathon on a flat course; and third is that I really do need to focus my next three months on losing these few pounds that are holding me back. 20 pounds would have made a HUGE difference in getting up all of those crazy hills yesterday so, it's on. Back to drinking MGD64 and Bud Select 55's with Johanna!



and p.s. Big congrats to my friend Kathryn Wiseman for finishing her first half-marathon in Austin and for signing up for Chicago marathon 2010!