Running 6:00 [1] 1.0 km (6:00 / km)
shoes: 201404 Inov-8 F-Lite 230
I arrived at the site at about 7:15 and had plenty of time to pick up my packet, go to the bathroom, put on some sunscreen and jog around a little to wake up the legs. For breakfast, I ate a muffin and some carrots and drank a Monster.
Running race 1:28:39 [4] 21.1 km (4:12 / km) +100m 4:06 / km
shoes: 201404 Inov-8 F-Lite 230
Sigh. Castle Awards half, in Seekonk MA near the Rhode Island border. My previous PR was 1:30:29 at the Old Sandwich Road Race, where I was beaten down by hills at the end. My recent 10k vdot predicted a 1:25, and I figured a reach of 1:24 (4:00/km) was possible. The race started at 8 AM, and the temperature was about 65 F.
I was wary of starting too fast, so I tried to stay relaxed for the first few miles. The race had about 150 participants, but within the first minute or two, three guys had pulled to the lead, with me hanging off the lead group. I scooted past a tall woman in the first mile. I went through the first mile in about 6:15 - slightly faster than the target 6:24. My three mile split was 19:34. For my first half marathon, I ran the entire way with Sam; it turned out the tall woman would be proxy-Sam. Proxy Sam pulled even with me at about ten minutes in, and we ran together through mile 4.
I started feeling the heat, and Proxy Sam gradually pulled away from me. The guy in third was visible in the distance for most of the race. I tried to turn off my brain to the struggle by listening to an audiobook, but it may have been ill-advised. I found music to be distracting if it wasn't at my cadence pace. I passed the time by trying to keep my cadence high and counting how far I was behind Proxy Sam - the gap was consistently 15-20s for the entire race.
I didn't want to burn out, so I was tepid in my efforts to push harder. At each of five water stops, I drank about a third of the cup and poured the rest over my head, but it seemed to evaporate in moments. I had a Gu at the start line and at mile 8, 52 minutes in. As the last mile markers rolled by, I realized how the faster goals were slipping from my grasp, and I tried to push harder. The temperature probably was about 80 F by the end of the race - which shouldn't be as much of an impediment as it seems to be for me.
I switched to a higher gear for the last two miles, but I didn't have much left. The finish chute was interminable, and the race had a false ending that led into another 100-200m. The GPS track is a little short, but with all the turns (and the loop), I hope the race itself wasn't short. This effort is a PR, but only just. I chatted briefly with Lindsay (proxy Sam) and Kentaro (third place guy). My 10-mile split was a shade faster than the 10-miler I ran in November 2012, and my 5-mile split was only a minute back of my 5-miler this spring. Woo.
Cumulative splits, based on mile markers:
3 mi: 19:34 (6:31/mi)
5 mi: 32:06 (6:25)
6 mi: 39:10 (6:31)
8 mi: 52:51 (6:36)
10 mi: 1:05:58 (6:36)
12 mi: 1:20:00 (6:40)
Running 11:35 [1] 1.12 km (10:22 / km) +1m 10:19 / km
shoes: 201404 Inov-8 F-Lite 230
Cool down. My Flites have a narrow toe-box, and I developed a blister on my left foot between the big and second toe. A person was selling flavored ice at ridiculous prices - $2 for a small (12 oz), $4 for a large (20 oz); you can buy the same stuff at a gas station for half the price. Such price gouging is absurd. I got a stomachache, presumably from trying to replenish too many fluids too quickly.