Boilermaker...Year Four

This is how the past four years of running the Boilermaker have gone:

2007....1:39:39 (scary hot and humid)
2008....1:38:39 (weird, exactly one minute less)
2009....1:37:05 (could have done better)
2010....1:33:39....

Yup! Finally, a decent PR!

Today was a really great race, everyone I know did really well. 

We were up and on the road by six a.m., since we had my brother in law driving, he dropped us off right at the start, with plenty o' time to hit the porta potties.  It was really crowded, from what the announcer said, over 13,000 people registered, which made this year one of the largest 15k's in the country.  The weather was decent though, some clouds, warm, but not humid at all, and at times we felt a breeze.  I wasn't nervous at all, and I kept my eye out for J, Katie, and Nicki, but it was hard to look in that sea of people.

Gun went off, took about ten minutes just to get to the start line, but then we were moving, if you can call it that.  Lots of dodging and weaving around people, we said a quick hello to a fellow Lake Effect Group runner, then everyone was just off.  We all had a goal in mind, and had to try and do it.  My goal was to do under 1:35.  After mile one I started running on the grass alongside the road just to get my pace up, and barely noticed the bands and dancers and crowds alongside the course.  I kept my eye on G-Unit, didn't want to go over a ten minute mile, at this point I was about a 9:30.  Kept this up until mile 3, when I saw my friend C, who ran Boston for the first time this year, and whose training plan I'm following for Rochester.  We chatted a bit about our time goals, and how we might have to adjust them based on how many people were out there running.

Around mile four was the first hill, and let me tell you, the first time I ran this, I was scared of the hills.  This year, every single hill was just a blip on the radar to me, I've been doing so much training on inclines these past six months, that I sailed up and over every one today.   Took a gel at mile five, and kept cruising along, my plan was to kick it up at mile seven, as it was I kept going back and forth between 9:00 and 10:20 minute miles. 

Mile seven came and went, and it was almost mile eight.  I wanted to try and pick it up, and came to a corner near a bunch of warehouses, where the first year I ran this, I got a little loopy in the head because of the heat, so I always have flashbacks to how lousy I felt that year.  I got nervous and just kept steady, saw the Mile Nine sign, and next thing I knew, I was done.

Then it was time for beer, which wasn't doing it for me, so I made due with a snow cone.  Then we took photos of us in our running skirts, Jeannine and I matched in our camo skirts (on sale to boot!).  Looking back at my race, I played it safe again, but I'm testing the waters.  I'm proud of myself for running strong, not puking or letting my head get to me, and still finishing faster than last year. 

Now I can look forward to the next race on the calendar......Rochester Marathon on September 12. 

Gulp.