The forecast said it would be in the low to mid 50s for the whole race, and there was an 80-90% chance of rain as well. I debated wearing a shirt since the morning air felt cold to me, but in the end I decided against it, and I was barely a mile into the race before I knew that leaving the shirt behind was the right choice! I never got too cold or too hot during the race, so that worked out pretty well. And luckily, it really didn't rain at all. I think it started sprinkling in the last mile or two, but it wasn't a big deal.
I had a "seeded" start position, which allowed me to be near the front of Corral A, but I ended up not even trying to be that close to the front. I think I started somewhere near the middle of Corral A. I settled into a comfortable pace, not wanting to be too slow, but making sure it didn't feel like I was really working either. I had my camelbak on with about 1.5 liters of water, and 1 stick pack of Tailwind mixed in. I was carrying my inhaler in my Hydraklick belt. At some point in the first 5-6 miles, I noticed that the belt pouch felt very cold and wet, and I was feeling occasional cold drips go down my legs. It seemed way too cold to be my sweat, and also my belt pouch has never gotten that soaked just from sweat. I reached up and discovered that the back of my camelbak was also dripping wet. I think by the end of the race, I had drank about half of what went into my camelbak, and the other half leaked down my back. That's what I get for buying a cheap knock-off bladder to replace the one I filled with mold, I suppose.
The course was not a difficult one at all, especially considering all the hills that could have been included. There was a long gradual hill or two, but there was nothing even close to steep, and most of the race was flat. Most of the inclines were going on or off of bridges, and they were pretty short. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get a strong push up the longer hill around mile 12 because of all the flatness before it, but I didn't have too much trouble. I'm guessing the lack of steepness helped with that.
I felt ok until about mile 12, and then I started to feel the stress of the distance. Coby was on his bike riding around to cheer for me at various points on the course, and when I saw him around mile 13.8 it gave me the boost I needed to wake my legs back up and run a few more miles. By mile 15, I was in the surge-crawl cycle, with the surges gradually getting shorter and the crawls getting longer. By mile 18 I was hurting quite a bit. Mile 25 I was completely dead, and then somehow managed to pick it up for the last mile, and give a good, pure adrenaline-filled surge to the finish line. After I crossed the line, I was barely able to walk, but managed to stagger through the very long finish chute. I downed a whole bottle of water, and grabbed another one to drink more slowly later. When I finally came to the crowd of spectators at the end of the finish chute I just walked blindly hoping Coby would find me, and thankfully he did very quickly, as I was on the point of collapse. My body was so done, I had barely made it through the chute without crying, so of course I lost it once I had a shoulder to lean on.
The walk back to the car was long and painful, and I had nothing but a heat sheet and a towel wrapped around me to keep me warm, but I made it. And even managed a smile for a post-race photo... but my legs hurt so bad for that walk I don't know how I made it to the car!
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