Englewood Triathlon

July 16, 2016 - Englewood, FL

Redemption! I decided to sign up for this race, about a month ago. I wasn't going to race it, because I already had the international distance triathlon the weekend before, but, Carolyn talked me into it. I wanted to see Michelle and Kimmi complete their first tri and I wanted to do a better swim than last year, where I had a panic attack in the water!

Carolyn, Robert and I got down to Englewood around 5:45. Just in time for the packet pickup table to open up. We got our shirts and bibs, then got our chips and body marking done, before going back to the car to get bikes and gear. We then headed to the transition area to set up. It was great seeing all the familiar faces. So many Sarasota peeps doing this race! I got all set up, made a trip to the restroom (without falling down the stairs like last year!) then headed to the beach. There were 4 start times, and I was in the last group. The water was perfect. Smooth, with not much of a current. We watched the 3 other groups head out, got lined up along the water, then ran in when it was our turn, around 7:15.

Swim (400 meters): We were a tight group for a while. I kept in the thick of it, trying not to get kicked in the face. We didn't have a long swim, before turning to the right at the first bouy. I was having a great swim. I felt strong and was passing by other swimmers! We had 4 bouys to pass, before turning right again, heading back to shore. I little jog up the beach, before crossing the timing mat. T1 was a bit of a mess. I took to long getting ready. I grabbed my sunglasses out of my helmet, then had to reclip my bangs, so they wouldn't fall in my face. This messed me up. Plus, I was talking to the woman next to me, which also helped me to loose focus. I grabbed my bike and started running out of transition. Thankfully, Gina was there and saw that I didn't have my helmet on! I turned around, set my bike on the ground, and ran back over to my spot, grabbed my helmet and set out again! Swim- 10:02, T1 - 2:46

Bike (13 miles): because of the transition snafu, my heart rate was up, but I was pushing hard. I had a shorter ride than the weekend before, so I really wanted to push the pace. I like this out and back course. The road is pretty smooth. Just one section where there was sand on the road, but there was a spot for the riders to get through it safely and volunteers on the road, to point it out. I had some good speeds going, clocking my fastest 5 mile split at 15:46! I passed Wendy, Jackie and Carolyn about 9 miles in. Carolyn stayed on me for the rest of the ride. I had to work hard to stay in front of her! :) Very happy with my bike. T2 was much quicker, as I only had to slip off my bike shoes, slip on running shoes, grab visor, washcloth and put on my bib belt as I ran through the transition area. Bike - 43:09, T2 - 0:53

Run (5K): I felt really good on the run. Looking at previous years times, I knew I needed an 8:30 pace to come in at a similar time as my best previous time. So, I worked on keeping that pace. The weather was so much cooler today, than last weekend, so that helped a lot. I was passing  people constantly and really didn't have any issues with keeping that pace. Since I had a small water bottle with me, I didn't need to stop at the water stops. Just kept plugging away. It was great seeing friends near the finish line cheering. I ran over the finish line with a big smile and a 3 minute race PR! Run - 26:29
Finish: 1:23:17
4th in age group

Ft Desoto Triathlon #2

The sun is up and we are ready to do the triathlon!

July 9, 2016

After having a pretty good race back in May, I knew what I wanted to work on before this race. The bike! I feel like I did a pretty good job of building my leg strength. I'm not a great deal faster, but there has been some improvement.

Our transition set up:
Carolyn's bike on the left, mine on the right.

Race morning: I had talked Carolyn into the race, so we both headed up to Ft Desoto early. Leaving my house at 4:45 am. We got there in plenty of time. We got our bibs, got body marked, then made our way to the transition area. We got there early enough to get a great spot on the bike rack! We got all our gear set up, before heading back to the car. Another trip to the transition area, then back out to set up our chairs in the post race area. Restroom stop, and then off to the beach. The water was pretty flat. You could see the current moving from the north to the south, which was a bummer as most of our swim was going to be heading north! Oh, well. At least the water was calm. It was super hot out in the days leading to this race. This morning was no different. Temps in the mid 80s at the 7am start time! We had a little bit of waiting around before we got to start. Since we were doing the international distance, we would go early. The non age group athletes went first. Then the under 40 year olds went out 3 minutes later, followed by our group, 3 minutes later.

Swim: The swim was good. I knew I wouldn't be as fast as last time, no wetsuit, but I knew I could do it in a faster time than I have previously at the Siesta Key Tri. Instead of trying to get as far away from other swimmers as I could, I tried drafting off of a guy. I hung with him until the first buoy. I think I was bothering him, because he kept looking back at me. I wasn't touching him! He must have felt the water movement from my hands, on his feet. At least I didn't hit his feet like the guy behind me was doing with his hands on MY feet. Geesh, after hitting me 3 times, maybe you should move over? Once we passed the first bouy, and started swimming north, I lost track of the guy I had been behind. There were a couple of guys to my side and then some further ahead. I did pretty good of not swimming off course. I felt very comfortable the entire time. Once we passed the last bouy, making the turn back to shore, I tried to swim a bit faster. We hit a sandbar, so I stood up and ran through the water. All that did was make my heart rate pick up, so that when I swam again, I struggled a bit. I did some dolphin dives, to pull ahead of the guys who had been near me, then swam it in. I remembered to hit the lap button on my watch, as I crossed the timing mat. The run up the beach was tough, lots of dry, deep sand. Then through the parking lot, into transition area. I need to work on getting my socks and shoes on faster! Carolyn was at her bike when I got there. She started off a minute or two before me. Swim - 18:20, T1 - 4:36

Bike: My speed on the bike, to start off, was pretty fast! I was seeing 18 and 19 mph, when I would look at my watch. Of course, that didn't last. My breath was heavy, so I needed to pull it back a bit, so I would last the entire 20 miles. We head south on the island, before curving to the east. Once we hit that stretch, we had a bit of a head wind. About 4 miles in, a bug hit me hard on the chest, then fell down my shirt! I yelled a little, just as I reached Carolyn. I reached my right hand, down into my shirt, felt the bug, and scoped it out and away from me. I have no idea what it was, but it was gross! At the end of the road is a big circle, with a great view of the Skyway Bridge. We head back the way we just came. I pick up speed again. Once we make the curve, heading North, I feel the wind a bit more, which slows me down again. At the end of this road, there is another circle that takes us back out again for loop two. The second loop is tougher. Definitely going slower. I was struggling to keep it in the 16ish mph range. No bug attacks on the second loop, though. I rolled into transition, got off my bike, feeling pretty good. I drank a bunch of the tailwind drink I had on my bike, since I only got in 3 or so drinks during the bike. I knew I was going to need it for the hot run! I racked my bike, took off my helmet and bike shoes. Slide on my newtons, visor, put my bib belt (with water bottle and pouch) on and grabbed my wash cloth. Bike - 1:05:25, T2 - 1:22

Run: Heading out of transition, I passed by a woman in my age group! Well, she was in my AG, but I was just guessing she was running the same distance as me, and not the sprint. Pretty sure all the sprint athletes were out there running already! Anyway, with that woman not far behind me, I quickly had to decide if I wanted to make a restroom pit stop. I had the unfortunate visit from Aunt Flo (sorry guys!) on Wednesday, so today's triathlon, came with some limitations. I didn't feel like I needed the restroom, urgently, so I figured I would try the 3 miles, and if I needed the stop on the second loop, I would stop then. I had taken off 3 minutes on the bike, from the previous time, I didn't want to add it back on the run! The run was going to be slower already, because of the heat! Mile one was great. The loose sand, didn't bother me too much. When I hit the pavement, I picked up speed a little. I took a small drink, or dumped water on my head, at each water stop. When I finished the first loop, I was really dreading going through again! It was just so hot and there was no break from the sun. The second time through the sand, was much slower. When I hit the water stop at mile 4, I walked through, then kept walking. I really had to push through the mental wall I had. I started running, and then the sun went behind some clouds. It felt like it cooled off by 10 degrees! I was praying it that cloud would stick around. I had it for about a mile, but then the sun was back in force. During the last mile, I told myself over and over, "It's jut a mile", Then "it's just half a mile". Finally, I saw the finish line. Pushed it through to the finish. So happy! I was hoping for a sub 1 hour finish. I was close! Run - 1:00:31
Finish - 2:30:14
Age group finish: 3rd!

Finishing with a smile. :)!

Race shirt with finisher medal and 3rd place age group medal.

Long bike ride in San Antonio, FL

July 2, 2016

Normally, I don't write up a recap on a training ride/run/swim, but I figured it would be good for me (if not anyone else!) to remember the details of this ride. Specially the nutrition and hydration.

Wendy, Roxy, Carolyn and I met up at the Starbucks near the interstate, at 5am and were on the road by 5:15. Roxy programmed the address for our destination, into her phone navigation, so we had a pretty easy trip north. We arrived at the athletic center at 6:30ish. We met up with Dave and Jennifer, hit the restrooms and got our gear ready, then hit the road 2 minutes before 7 am!

I had packed a lot into my rear bag and back jersey pocket. I brought 2 bottles of water, each with Berry Tailwind and Electrolyte salt, mixed in. I brought two extra packets of Tailwind for later, plus the peanut butter snack crackers, Honey Stinger Chews, Honey Stinger waffle and a Gu. I wanted options and I didn't ever want to be feeling hungry! :)

Within a couple of miles, we hit the first big downhill, followed by a big uphill. The hills were tough, but somehow, I managed to make it up all of them, without getting off to walk. A couple of times I had to stand up on the peddles to get up to the top, but I did it! Dave gave us pointers on using the gears, in particular, the front gears, at the pedals. I had never bothered with these! I always used the back gears. It seemed to make a big difference! He also suggest I add a bigger gear to the back, so I could make it up the hills easier. I plan on getting my bike in the shop for that, before our next trip!

After a few stops, and forgetting to restart my watch, Dave suggested I add the pause function to the bike mode on my watch. I was able to to it quickly, while we waited for the others, at the top of a hill. What a great option! As soon as I would stop, my watch would pause. I didn't have to think of it again for the rest of the ride.

Our bikes lined up at the pit stop.

I went through 2 bottles of drink, by the time we hit the gas station/pit stop at mile 25ish. I had meant to bring 3 bottles, but forgot, so happy I was fine with the 2. We used the restrooms and bought a couple of big jugs of water, to refill all of our bottles. I poured in the packets of Tailwind I had brought, but didn't add anymore of the electrolyte salt. I shared a few of my crackers, then finished up the rest of them, before we headed out again. I had also had half a bag of the Honey Stinger chews. That's it, but I felt great. The Tailwind was giving me good calories.

After the pit stop, we hit the biggest hill. Ice Cream hill. I had heard about it from a few people. It was a killer. Thankfully, I didn't know that it was THAT hill, till I had already gotten up it. It was tough, sure, but I didn't think it was a great deal harder than the others. I did have to stand up and peddle to get up the last bit, but I made it!

The last 10 miles seemed to be a little easier. More rolling hills, than steep climbs. I finished the last of my chews and another bottle of water, plus half of the other bottle, before finishing. We all rolled into the parking lot with big smiles and a sense of accomplishment. We did it! Many thanks to Dave, for leading us today. We wouldn't have made it without you!

Me, Jen, Dave, Roxy, Carolyn and Wendy

The elevation chart of our ride!

SUP & Run - second annual event

May 21, 2016

I can't believe it's the end of June and I haven't posted about this awesome event yet. I thought I had, until I checked my page. :)

This was the second time for the event and the second time for me doing a run and then SUP. The run is first, so I got my borrowed board (thanks Gina!) set up on the beach, with my hydration pack, paddle and toe shoes on top. All participants start at the same time, so Run & SUPers start as the same time as the 5K runners and SUP only participants. Once I got going on the run, I had to hold back, so that I wasn't super tired, when I got to my board. It's not easy holding back in a 5K, when everyone is going all out! It was cool to see the SUPers out on the water, next to the run course. I got to cheer on Jackie a couple of times.

Once I got back to my board, I tried to quickly take off my shoes, put on the toe shoes, hydration pack, before grabbing my paddle and board, heading for the water. It's a quick, steep drop off, so I was up on my board right away.

The course changed direction this year. We paddled straight out to a big bouy, then took a sharp left turn, to paddle counter clockwise around the lake. I could tell that my lack of training was going to be a factor. I just didn't have the speed that I had last year. It was awesome to see some of the veterans from Operation Second Chance out on the water. Paddling with one arm, or only one leg.  Even though I was slower, I had a great time on the water. Taking that last turn, heading back to the beach, was great. I could see friends on the shore, cheering for me. Once I hit the shore, I dropped the board, carrying my paddle, for a dash across the finish line!
Super happy to have finished second in my age group!

Time: 1:23:54

Looking forward to next year. I will train for it this time! :)

Love my Skirt Sports! Top: Exhale Bra Tank
Skirt: Gym Girl Ultra - Tantrum print

Ft Desoto International Triathlon

Race #1,
May 7, 2016

A couple of months ago, I decided to sign up for this three race series. I figured it would be good training for the half ironman in September. Plus, I got a really good deal on it, when I used a coupon code a friend gave me. I like Ft Desoto for triathlons (I’ve done a couple of sprint triathlons there) because the bike course is closed to road traffic. That is not the case with other local races I’ve done. Plus, this international distance, has a shorter swim than the Olympic distance. Half mile swim, 20 mile bike and a 10K run.

During training for this race, I had gotten in quite a few open water swims. The last few had been in choppy water. I was still nervous about the half mile swim, though. The weather leading up to race day wasn’t so great. High winds and very choppy water at our local beach. Plus, the water temp had risen to 79 degrees, just on the wrong side of wetsuit legal. With the storm system that moved through on the Wednesday before the race, I had hopes that the temp might drop just enough on race morning, to make it a wetsuit legal race.

The finishers medal

Race morning: I got up very early and was out the door by 4:45. It was about an hour drive for me. I wanted to be up there with plenty of time to get checked in and get my gear set up. Once I arrived and got parked, I walked over to what looked to be the packet pickup. While I was waiting in line to check in, they announced over the loud speaker that the water temp was 73 degrees and wetsuit legal! I was VERY happy to hear it! I got my bib and green swim cap, I then headed to the shirt table. When I signed up for the race, I thought they had men’s and women’s shirts. Nope. I was handed a large men’s shirt which was huge! I was told to come back later to try and exchange. Note to self: get my shirt size changed for the other 2 races! I got my number written on me by a volunteer, before I headed back to my car. I attached the bib to my race belt, put my number on my bike and helmet, then grabbed all my gear and headed to transition. I was lucky to find a spot at the end of the rack! It looked like the other bikes were setting up in order, because there were 4 on the first rack already, but I asked the race official if they needed to be in order. He said they just had to be on the rack that included our number. I scored a great spot! I set up everything on my little transition mat. It’s bright pink, which will help me find my spot when running in to transition. I put my bike gear up front (shoes, socks, shirt, sunglass) and behind that, I set out my running gear (tank top, water bottle, race belt/bib, washcloth, shoes). I found Jennifer (part of the Kennedy Law Firm team and fellow former Santa Cruzian) and chatted with her a bit. She said I could leave stuff in their tent if I wanted to. So, I went to my car to grab my backpack with my change of clothes. I put my keys and phone in there, then grabbed my swim gear. I headed to the bathrooms, I then met Jennifer back at the tent. We walked out to the water, with some of her team, about 10 minutes before the start of our wave. We were in the second group to go off, at 7:02 am. We tested out the water, which felt fine to me in my wetsuit! We learned that the swim course had changed from what it was going to be originally. Before, we were going to swim north, parallel to the shore, then swing back around and swim south for a little bit before coming in. Because the waves were a little high, they decided to have us swim out much further, curve to the left, swim for a bit, then curve to the left again, swimming back to shore. We watched the first group go out (about 5 minutes late), then got ready for our group to go out. It seemed to be most of the international going out at once! Not sure of how the first group was formed, but it was men and women. I was feeling nervous, but also excited to finally get started!

The swim: we all crossed over a mat, the announcer said go and we were off! I ran in to the water, keeping to the back of the pack. Once I was about waist deep, I dove under water. I picked my head out pretty quick, though. I had forgotten to pull down my goggles from the top of my head! Thankfully, my eyes were ok from the salt water plunge. I adjusted the goggles and headed out. It was a little turbulent getting past the waves and all the people, but finally I was able to get to swimming. We spaced out pretty quickly, so there was only a few instances of me hitting someone’s foot or body part with my arm. I was feeling pretty good in my wetsuit, as it keeps you very buoyant! After the first bouy turn, I was pretty much on my own. I had one woman, just to the side of me, but we kept out of each other’s way. I got off course a little bit a couple of times here, as it was a little harder to swim straight. The current was pushing me to the left, and I was overcompensating for it. I made the second left around and started making the long swim back to shore. Now, I could really feel the current behind me. It was a nice push towards shore.  I actually managed to pass a swimmer before heading onto the beach! I crossed over the timing mat, then had the long run up the beach, through the parking lot and into transition. My time in transition was a bit long, but I really wanted to put on my cycle jersey to stay warm. The windy ride, after that colder water swim, might have been rough. Got on all my bike gear, then walked my bike out of transition. I guess I need to learn to run in those bike shoes! Swim time: 16:44 (1/4!) T1: 5:19

The bike: The bike was great, right from the start. Since we were all spread out so much, and the sprint distance athletes where still in the water, or yet to start, I had lots of space to ride, without worrying about other riders on the road. I passed a couple of riders and then got passed by a few. The bike course is an out and back on the Island. So, I got to see the lead pack heading back in while I was going out. When we came back around to transition, the international distance atheletes had to continue on for a second loop, while the sprint athletes went in after one loop. After a while, there was no way for me to know if riders passing me where in the sprint division or the international division. At about mile12, a female rider with a #45 on her leg, passed me. I figured she was probably in the longer distance race with me, so I tried to keep her in my sights. It didn’t take her long to pull far ahead of me. It was a little windy, but because we changed directions a few times, we did get a break from the wind. When the wind was behind me, I tried to push the pace. At the last loop, before heading into transition, I saw the woman in my age group. She only had a couple of minutes on me. I was hopeful I could catch up to her on the run. I walked my bike through transition, letting my legs loosen up a bit. I found my spot, changed out my top, changed shoes, added my bib, grabbed my water bottle and wash cloth, then headed out. Bike time: 1:08:45 (3/4) T2: 1:43

The Run: I wasn’t sure what to expect on the run. I hadn’t had a good run in 2 weeks! But, the weather was perfect for running. I felt good, right from the start. We followed a trail next to the beach, which was hard packed sand/dirt. We ran along this for a mile, before turning to the left and joining the sidewalk. I passed a couple of people in the first mile, but none of them in my age group. During the entire run I really had no idea if people where in the shorter or longer distance or first loop or second loop of the run. There was a water stop just past mile one. On this section of the course, we run out, then come back the same way. There was another water stop just before the turn around, so plenty of water spots available to the runners. Like I said before, I was feeling great. My first mile was 8:35! I did start to slow down, gradually as each mile passed. The second mile was 8:45ish. Just before we turned to head back, I saw the runner from my age group! I knew I could catch her. I did, just after mile 2. It was my goal to stay ahead of her, so I knew I wouldn’t be last in my age group. We headed back towards the transition, but before making the straight shot to the finish, I had to make the left turn to go out for my second loop. I passed another water stop, before getting back onto the sand/dirt tail. I was definalty slowing down, but still feeling good. Just before mile 4, I took the Gu I had brought with me, and then grabbed some water at the water spot. Just before mile 5, I saw that other age group runner, on the other side of the side walk, a few minutes (at least!) behind me. I refocused on my pace, keeping it as close to a 9 min. mile as I could. Once I hit the parking lot, just before mile 6, I turned to look behind me. I could see no one back there! As soon as I got closer to the finish area, I picked up the pace, crossing the finish line strong. I was so happy to have completed my first middle distance tri! Run: 55:34 (2/4)

Finish time: 2:28:05
2^nd in age group

One of the things I really like about this race is that you can pretty much instantly see your finish results and how you placed. I walked over to the giant tv screens to find my name. There I was, with a 2^nd in age group listing! What! So surprised!! What a great day.

My goal with these races was to use the first race as a starting point to improve from. This will be tough with this race because the weather was so cool and I got to wear my wetsuit. I won’t be able to wear it for the July and August races. And both of those races are bound to be super hot! So, for the July race, it will be my goal to improve my bike speed and to keep my swim and run times to as close to this races times, as I can.

Harbor Heights Half Marathon

April 2, 2016

I decided to run this race a few months ago, when my boss at Fit2Run said she could get me an entry. Since I'm working on adding half marathons this year, I jumped at the chance to run one for free! Since I've been dealing with issues with my left hamstring and hip, I decided I would take it easy for this race. Ariana volunteered to pace the 2:15 pace group, so I told her I would help her with it. It was the first time pacing for both of us. I felt like it was a good opportunity to see if pacing would be something I would enjoy.

Race Morning: Ariana and I met up with Gina, who volunteered to drive us down to Harbor Heights, which is east of Punta Gorda. Just under an hour from where we live. The days leading up to race day had been hot and humid. Race day was even hotter and more humid than it has been since the summer! It was in the low 70s and very steamy! So glad I wasn't trying to set a personal record out there. It was NOT the day to do it! We arrived with plenty of time to get a good parking spot, pick up our race packets and then sit in the car for a bit. About 20 minutes before the start of the race, we picked up the 2:15 pace pole and got a photo with the other pacers. We then headed over to the start. It didn't look like a very big crowd. With the half and 5K combined, it was under 500 runners. A recorded version of the National Anthem was played, with some children present to sing along. Once that was done, we were off!

All the runners spread out pretty quickly. We had a small group near us, but I wasn't ever sure if they where pacing with us or not. Gina decided to hang with us for a bit, even though her goal was much slower for the day. We did some loops through the neighborhood, which was very quiet at this time in the morning. The sun wasn't all the way up yet, so the first few miles were bearable. Both Ariana and I had a hard time keeping to the slower pace. As a result, some of our early mile splits are a bit on the fast side! Ariana held the sign for the first few miles, then passed it off to me. We passed it back and forth every few miles, to give each of us a break. It was a little on the heavy side.

The course was pretty boring. We would run down one street, make a turn and then run down the next street that was parallel to the last. And continue on with that. Once the sun came up, it got very hot. There was no shade at all. On the roads we headed south on, we got a nice breeze, but then we would turn a corner and head back up the next street, with the breeze at our back. The runners we had with us, started dropping off. We had one guy until mile 10, who was doing great, but pulled ahead to soon (around mile 10) and lost steam before the finish.

Hard earned finisher medals!

We were both very glad to have each other during those last couple of miles. It was hard going! I really wanted to slow down, but we needed to keep our pace, in case other runners who we came up to, decided to pace off of us until the finish. We would catch up to people walking or running slowly, they would see us and then they would pick up their pace!

We ended up finishing ahead of schedule. One, the course was short! And two, we did run those first few miles about 10 seconds per mile faster than we should have. All in all, I enjoyed pacing. I would like to try it again at a bigger race, where I might actually have people hang with me for the entire time! :)

I am also very surprised that I ended up placing third in my age group! Shocker, since it's such a slow pace for me normally. But, that's what happens when you run a small race. :)

Sarasota Half Marathon

March 13, 2016

Race morning started off with an hour less of sleep. It’s not a fun day when Daylight Savings Time begins on the morning of a race. I got up around 4:30 and was out the door by 5:30. It’s a local race, but parking is an issue and I wanted to make sure I got to the lot, across the street from the race, before it filled up. I hung out in my car for a bit, before Gina showed up. We then headed over to the start area. We hung out at the Fit2Run tent, before I went to use the porta-potties, then went ahead and got into the corral. I had about a 10 minute wait, but I wanted to get in there a little ahead of time, since it was a hassle to get into the crowded corral the year before.  Soon we were off!

The first little stretch is always very congested. Even though I was pretty far forward, there were still people ahead of me that I had to dodge around because they were walking or running much slower. Just before mile one, we make a right turn, heading towards the Ringling Bridge. I see Melissa off to the side, but I’m on the far left, so I don’t get a chance to say high. Over the bridge and then out to St Armand’s Circle. Ran a loop through the circle, before heading back over the bridge. This time, I was able to catch Melissa’s attention and grab a high five from her. Made the right turn on to 41 and headed back towards the stop. It’s always fun to run past the area where all the relay people are waiting for their runner. Miles 1 through 6 – 8:13, 8:36, 8:27, 8:39, 9:10, 8:50

We had a mile or so on the main road before making a left into the neighborhood west of Tamiami Trail. This is the new part of the course. In previous years, since they moved the start from the Ringling Museum to the Van Wezel, we have run a few miles up Tamiami Trail, before turning at the Museum and coming back to the finish through the neighborhood boarding the water. This new part of the course was so much better! My right calf has been feeling tight, but just before reaching the museum, it is really hurting. I stop and stretch and then have to stretch about every mile before reaching the finish! I was actually kind of worried I would pull something. It was so painful! I worked on keeping good form and not extending my stride, which seemed to help a bit. At least it took my mind of the pain. Once we reached the main road, I tried to speed it up again. Made the turn to the Van Wezel, then pushed it hard for the last stretch before reaching the finish line. Miles 7 through 13.1 - 9:05, 9:12, 9:22, 9:11, 9:15, 9:40, 9:07, 1:12

Finish - 1:58:05

Super happy with a sub 2 hour finish. Wish I could have run a faster race though. Need to work on getting my hip, hamstring and calf better!