
(photo courtesy of Peter Lubbers)
Here's a shot of the lineup behind me at the start:

First few miles are pretty flat and simple, and I was trying to keep my pace in the 8:30-8:40 range:

As hard as I tried, though, my overall pace slipped down to about 8:20-8:25. Kept an eye on the Garmin; it was usually less blurry than this:

Came on to our first lake views:

And heading into the middle miles,the sun started hitting pretty hard:

My plan for the "Hill From Hell" was to slow down, run as long as I could, then take 20-breath walk breaks. Worked pretty well - watched my pace slip back to 8:45 or so as I ticked off the elevation with the help of the signposts:

Swept around Emerald Bay, used the same tactic on the second big hill (pace up to 8:55,) then ran the downhill super-scenic section:

This last section has been my downfall every year - the two big hills take it out of me so much that I have to walk a little in the last 5 flat miles. Disappointing - had I run it in, I'm sure I could have had a PR. But I did enjoy the themed aid stations - here is the "North Pole," complete with Christmas tree:

And "Hogwarts," crewed by witches and wizards:

I was hoping to get a better picture up the finish chute, but here's the final few feet:

Here's the graph of my elevation and pace - all the pace spikes in the last flat part are where I lost my PR. I did finish under 4:00, though, at 3:56 and a second or two. Pretty happy with that despite the pain.

Caught a wave from Gretchen coming into the finish - the women's winner! Amazing. Chatted for a bit with Peter, then moseyed my way back to the shuttle buses and napped on my way back to the casino and my car. Stuck in a traffic jam (motorcycle accident) for about 40 minutes on my way home, too - lot of time in the car.
3 comments:
Wow! You inspire me- sticking through all of it despite the pain and the sun. I wish I could have run the half- I got stuck in the same traffic and road construction, and kept thinking, I could be running faster than I am driving right now! I love your rest tactic of 20-breath walk breaks~ I'll have to try that! :) Thanks for the great photos!
What a gorgeous setting, and congrats on another marathon! That hill looks like no joke.
Great to see you out there again, Turi! It was another beautiful day for a run.
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