Race Recap - Dam to Dam 2011

All week I've been checking the weather, stewing over reports of first 90 degree temps, then a strong likelihood of rain. I tried to let go of the things I can't control (like, ahem, the weather) and realize I was well trained, I had run last year in horrible conditions and survived it, I would get through whatever the day brought. And most of the time I was able to believe those things.... except when I was fussing about how unfair it was!

The night before the race, as usual, I didn't sleep particularly well and was mostly awake when my alarm sounded at 4:15am. I got dressed, made coffee, ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana. It was already in the low 70's, but it was overcast and there was no wind, a blessing and a curse! Yea! No head wind! Boo! No cooling breeze!

I met the Monkey bus at and rode to the race with many of the people I trained with. At the start I met my friend Molly and we made our way to the 9 min/mile pace sign.

As is well covered here, my goal was to crack the two hour mark for this race. It is a goal I had become a little fixated on as my training went on. I thought if I had a fantastic race day I could bring it in at 1:56. I knew as we lined up that I needed to be cautious. It was hot, humid, no breeze.... Conditions I had only trained in for one run this whole season in a run that left me feeling shakey and ill the rest of the night. I decided I would take water at every water station - no matter what.

When the gun went off we moved pretty quickly across the start line. It was very crowded at the start and I had to zip around a lot of people to find a space to run in at the pace I wanted to go. My goal was to keep my pace between 9:15-9:30 for as long as possible. My thinking was this would give me a cushion for the water stations and if I needed to go to the bathroom....

The first three miles of Dam to Dam are a gentle downhill. I had a serious case of the giddy-ups and every time I looked down at my watch I was going too fast. But I felt fantastic! Despite feeling speedy I worked hard to dial my pace back and run within my range.

Here I am at mile 4 - I'm in the purple running skirt, pink hat and have my arms up flashing a thumbs up to John and my dad who woke up early to come cheer me on....

The race hummed along for me. I plugged in my iPod and allowed myself to be carried away on the river of runners making their way downtown. Every now and then friends would drift into my line of sight - we'd exchange words of encouragement, but mostly we were all in our own race.

I crossed the halfway mark (10K) at 58:46 feeling good. I had walked through every water station. I usually only take water at every other station or so, but with the heat and humidity I was glad to have the fluid. I took a package of Sport Beans between mile 6 and 7 and felt like they gave me a little boost and luckily didn't upset my stomach.

The second half of the race is hillier than the first, but I conquered the hills just after mile 7 and just after mile 8 without much difficulty. My pace was pretty steady and I continued to take water at every opportunity. Turning the corner into Birdland I was a little more than 3 miles to the finish line and all I had to do was keep the pace under 10 minute miles and I would meet my goal. I felt strong and pretty confident.

And then I just cratered - seemingly out of no where - just past mile 10. I was dizzy, light headed, nauseous... I knew I would see my dad and John again pretty soon and I started thinking about hopping in the car with them and just going home. This has happened to me in the same spot at this race each of the 3 times I've run it. I swear I was thinking "I'm doing great, I'm not going to bonk, must be all the water...." and then - crash!

Luckily there is a photo of this moment so I know exactly what I looked like.... Pretty!

John hopped in an ran with me a few steps, shouting words of encouragement. But I just HAD to walk. I picked out a street sign that I would walk to as I felt my goal of a 2 hour race slipping away. I walked for a minute or two and started running again. Within a half mile or so I caught a second wind. At the 1 mile mark I was on pace to break two hours if I came in under a 10 minute mile.

Telling myself, "run easy, run through it, light feet" I moved to the finish line. I saw the sign for 400 meters and I thought "just once around the track" as I conjured memories of mile repeats and strides, knowing I can kick it in on tired legs. I felt like I was flying along, but a glance at my watch showed a 9:20 pace. I crossed the finish line at 1:59:30 (by my watch) and burst into tears.

Feeling elated, with my biggest cheerleader, after the race....

Me and my dad....

With Mack, Betsy and my dad....

Official stats:

10K split: 58:46

20K chip time: 159:29 (I'll take their second difference between their time and my watch!)

Average pace: 9:37 (walking through every water station, a minute or two of walking toward the end)

Overall place: 997/3761 women runners

Age group place: 178/622 women 35-39

Memorable moments:

Molly's mom put out a sign that said "Go Kate Walton!" at mile 2....

Florence and the Machine - "The Dog Days Are Over" coming up on my iPod in the last hard mile, this line bringing a lump to my throat:

"Run fast for for your mother fast for your father, run for your children for your sisters and brothers. Leave all your love and your longing behind you can't carry it with you if you want to survive."

Funniest sight: A man crossing the finish line wearing a shirt that read: Running Sucks!

Biggest lesson learned? Apparently mile 10 of the race is going to be a rough one for me. But I know I can get through to the other side, so I just need to run through it.