Gosh what to say. Well a few things first. After talking to Hugh a few nights prior I had a few new strategies which I used and were very effective. First I wore a white visor and sunglasses. It was overcast, but I didn't under estimate the heat or the suns eventual appearance. At each aid station I took in water and even poured a cup or two over my head. I am convinced this was key in keeping my strong.

The race started and it took me a few km's to get into it. I took my first gel early around 4km because my stomach felt empty. I finally found my rhythm. I took my 2nd gel at 12km and then basically one every 6 kms (2 aid stations) from then on out. I ran the first half very smart. I honestly felt I had more in me but I knew it was a long race and just wanted to stick to the game place of 4:30's. I had my garmin lapping every 4km;s, I loved this. It was just a long enough interval to get a real reading of my pacing without the erratic changes when you lap every 1km. I saw Jon and Hudson and Bob and Lynn at 21km, I knew I would see them again at 25km. I was excited so those 4km in between flew by! Then before I knew it I was at 28km, which is 2/3 through the race. I still nailing my splits so I felt great. I started to notice runners around me slowing down, and one by one I passed them, many of them. I was probably in 40th place for women, and I just kept looking for the next female to pass. I passed 8 women in the final 10km.

At 34km the sun emerged and it was hot, I was feeling tired and mentally wanted to slow down. I allowed myself to slow somewhat (4:39 per km from 35-40). At 40km there was a timing sign and it was 3:00:17... after seeing that I knew if I ran hard for the final 2.2km I could probably be under 3:10. So I ran hard. In the last 400m I saw 2 women running side by side and I decided to pass them. I picked it up and ran past but one of them decided to race me. We sprinted the final 100m and I won! It was because of this race that I ended up with 3:10:00 for my time!

No real warm down. Just enjoyed the event and the post race high!


Although I don't feel my performance was hindered from this, I only had about 4 hours of broken sleep as Hudson (10 months) had a very bad night. Also the weather was warm, but I managed this very well with lots of water intake and dumping water over my head at each station. The race started at 18 degrees but was around 25 by the end.