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My wife and son drove down Friday and went straight to the expo. Everyone was given blue and gold ribbons to wear on race day to show our support for Boston.
I got to bed to sleep about 11PM but since Indy is an hour ahead of home I didn't think it was too late. I slept straight through until 4PM and then lid there for another hour before I got up. Tex (RW friend and 30+ time BQ qualifier) and I talked the night before and he was going to meet at my hotel via the shuttle bus. But each hotel had different shuttles routes and since didn't hear from him I went to the start.
The wind chill was in the high 20's at the start but it was clear and sunny. When we finished the race it was 45. I never saw so many Boston jackets and gear in one place before. Two prayers were said and we had a moment of silence for the victims. Despite the evil in the world, times like this make you feel great about the running community.
I knew from my less than perfect cycle, I was on borderline fitness for a 3:30. A recent 8k race at 7:05 pace told me that. I decided to go out running 8 min splits and see how it went. The 3:30 pace group was ahead of me in the corral and I was content to let them go and run my own race.
Mile 1 - 8:00 Wow, that never happens and I said out loud "nailed it"
2 - 7:59
3 - 8:01 I fought off the urge to find a tree since it would slow me down and this is an upscale area.
4 & 5 - 7:58 It's feeling easy like it should and it was here I caught the pace group and ran with them
6 - 8:03
7 - 8:43 My bladder couldn't take it anymore and I duck into a port-a-let
The pace group is fa in the distance now and I will now have to work to catch up. Being a smaller race there are few people between me and them so I'll have to work to catch up while running into the wind mostly solo.
8- 7:50
9 - 8:00
10 - 7:46
11- 7:53
I finally catch the pace group at Mile 12 (about 10 runners) and decide to run by feel and not live by the Garmin.
13.1 - 1:45:55
Mile 20 - 2:41:41 or 8:05 pace
There are many, many turns in the race and despite best attempts to run the tangents the entire pace group is commenting that our Garmins are reading between .2 to .3 miles long. I am managing to hold it together but I'm starting to fatigue. I held on pace until Mile 22 when my heart rate was very high and I walked through a water stop. I just wasn't fit enough to hold the pace. The rest of the race was very short walk breaks and slowed pace. The 3:35 pacer blew by me at Mile 24 1/2. He was all alone (and obviously ahead of pace). My family was about 100 yards from the finish. I was all alone without any runners around me. Final time was 3:35:57 and 4th in AG. Five minutes slower than my PR.
The announcer called my name and Texas was :38 seconds ahead of me and heard it. That's where we finally met in the finish corral. Later we met for lunch and more importantly recovery beer before his flight that afternoon.
My family hit the hotel pool later in the day and went to the awesome Indy Children's museum on Sunday. Exhibits on super heroes, Transformers, geckos and trains made my 7 y/o son beyond happy. I lasted most of the day until my legs screamed for a chair.
I'm satisfied with my effort. Although, I think I need to get to 60mpw for a solid sub 3:30 finish. My mileage was closer to 50-55 this cycle. I am already thinking about a 5 week turnaround and hitting another attempt on May 19. I might as well use the fitness right?
