Boston Prep 16 Miler

Truth-be-told, I had no idea I would be running the Boston Prep 16 miler until Friday evening. A friend called me up and asked if I had interest in running. A client of her's had developed an injury and was looking to transfer her number to somebody that wanted it. Did I want it? I wasn't sure. I called a few friends to see if anyone else was interested in snagging the number and everybody was either busy or 'in-no-way-whatsoever' going to be convinced that running 16 HILLY miles could be a fun way to start their Patriots Sunday. So, I would bite the bullet and test my luck in Derry.

Arriving in Derry Sunday morning I had a vague sense of what I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to see who was in the field and to be flexible in a race strategy that would at least earn me some age-group 'schwag'. Having poured over past results, there is nearly always somebody really quick who shows up and just dominates this race. It seemed reasonable that 6 minute pace would most likely get me in the top 6 or 8 and that sounded like a good solid run for where I am at in my training. As we lined up and listened to both Canadian and American National Anthems, I didn't spot any Moultons, Fyffes, Ferenc's or the likes. The gun sounded and I took a conservative approach to the first hill. Ahead of me was a pack of 2 guys who looked pretty comfortable moving fast.

By mile 1 I came even with them and chatted with them about their goals for the race. While we talked, somehow a 5:42 mile clicked away and it dawned on me that I was feeling really strong. As we approached the first water stop around 2.5, I decided to forgo the water and focus on keeping up the solid rythym we had found. Mile 3 ticked away in a startling 5:30 and suddenly I felt separation from the guys who slowed up for water... In business, we call this the opportunity moment. In racing, it's the point in the race that decides whether the runner wants to give themselves a chance to do something remarkable. Sometimes we seize the moment as I did around mile 9 at CCM a few months ago and fail. Reflecting on CCM, I realized that my failure there was a lack of preparation, but I was really proud of taking myself right to the wall and to experience a pain that is rarely equaled. At Derry, although I was honestly a bit scared, I decided it was time to again test my physical limits and see how far I could make it.

The miles went by pretty slowly as I was supremely aware that I was only slowly breaking away from the chase group. Mile 5 provided really sloppy footing and I found the only good footing was created by the pace vehicle's tire tracks in the slush. By mile 7 I was feeling a pretty good hurt, but also knew that I hadn't stepped over the line into anaerobic running. I knew the major hill(s) were coming and I took the Rocktane Gu I had stored away, 'just in case'. As I approached what appeared to be the first major hill, I contemplated something my dad and I talked about before the race. We agreed that it made no sense to really hammer up several miles of hills only to be wasted by the effort. We decided it was smartest to stay in the same aerobic zone, shorten the stride, and get over the hills as efficiently as possible. I think I was pretty successful in doing that, and as I crested the top around 12.4, I quickly resumed the mid 5:30s I had been rolling out.

The last 3 miles HURT though. I felt light headed a few times and it was all I could do but to focus on counting down the minutes. Then I felt a big surge of adrenaline as I passed 13.1 in a new PR 1:15:3x, but my focus was primarily on letting the pace vehicle tow me along. Each time a hill presented itself in the distance, I was mentally willing the pace car to turn in the downhill direction of it. Some volunteers offered me a Gu at some point but they didn't hold one out, they just offered the box, and I was moving fast so I missed the Gu and actually spilled the whole box right of their hands.

At this point it was all-or-nothing. I could feel my calves starting to cramp on the insides. I was dehydrated, but I had fewer than 10 minutes to run. I saw the final mile marker and I knew I already knew I had done something I was proud of. I powered up the last short incline to the finish and let out a rare fist pump because I was so excited and also relieved that my gamble had paid off. The last mile dropped a ton of elevation too, helping to drop my average pace to a crisp 5:42 for the whole run.

Of the race, I have to say it was remarkably well organized and despite slippery downhill turns, the course was really clean and made for great racing. The hills lived up to their hype and I was only happy my race strategy played out in my favor. It was great having 5, 10 and 13.1 mile splits even though I missed all of the mats, so my chip didn't get recorded (just shows you how focused I was on following that pace car!). In general I am feeling super motivated by the PR. Most importantly, my philosophy of taking risks in racing has been reinforced and I am excited for the challenges ahead...

Happy and healthy running everybody.

Splits:

6:13
5:42
5:30

5:38

6:08

5:31

5:33

5:34

5:39

6:04

6:06

6:12

5:29

13.1 - 1:15:35

5:35

5:32

5:09