Chip Time: 3:56:26
Gun Time: 3:57:01
Pace: 9:01 min/mi
Comments: So the day finally arrived. After months of training that required hundreds of miles run, the race was upon me. And I felt completely miserable.
The head cold that had plagued me over the last week had not transformed to a full-on sinus infection but it was not making the start of race day any easier. And the forecast of clear weather that I had been promised at the start of the week transformed to one of constant rain with less than 48 hours to the start.
Still, the cold was "above the neck" which is the runner's threshold for racing sick. And the rain would make it miserable but the temperatures were very cool (mid to upper 40s) and no wind was expected. So I went out and did it.
The first 10K was a delight. I deliberately worked on moderating my pace with cadence and holding back as much as I could. But I still was knocking down crazy fast splits. Nothing was even close to 9:00/mi and a couple came within a breath of sub-8:00. But it was all cooler temperature and using downhills. I was running without looking at the Garmin and keeping breathing relaxed and easy.
At the halfway mark, I could definitely feel that the level of difficulty was about to get serious. This was the flat out-and-back portion of the course so I did start looking at the Garmin just to keep under 9:00/mi pace. As much as I wanted to try to negative split, I was realistic about what was about to happen.
I found myself starting to fade a little as I approached the turnaround at mile 17. The "out" portion turned out to have a long gradual uphill which proved to be a drag on my effort. I tried upping cadence on the return to make up a bit but, at this point, fatigue was really getting warmed up. At the 20-mile mark it settled in for real.
Miles 21 and 22 were a battle to keep my pacing up as much as I could in order to finish the out-and-back portion. It was clear that the fade was making itself comfortable wrecking my hard-earned consistency and eating away at my confidence. The last four miles were simply a matter of survival. I had to battle for every single step over this portion of the course and any incline took a severe toll.
A lot of better conditioned runners took me down through this part of the course which, even though I know better, was disheartening.
Crossing the Founders Bridge was pretty much the nightmare I had expected and I still had the last 3/4 of a mile to go. A real big shout out to the guy who had just finished and was back on the course, still draped in his mylar blanket, shouting "ALL OF YOU ARE SUB-FOUR MARATHONERS!" That encouragement got me through the ridiculously awful last section.
After I crossed the finish line I was completely wiped. I have rarely felt as exhaustively beaten after a race. I clutched the reflective blanket as tight as I could but I was shivering uncontrollably by the time I staggered back to the hotel. And every single step hurt as much as if I was still running the race.
But, I did it. I ran the whole course. And I hit my sub-four goal.
Conditions
Hour: 8 a.m
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather: light rain
Temperature: 48 degrees
Humidity: 88 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Hartford, CT
Shoes: Saucony Triumph ISO 4
Injury update: Pretty much everything hurt at one point. Consistent aches in right lower calf/upper Achilles tendon.