Derry Prep 16-Miler
January 25, 2009

Fashion Report
Overdressed in polypro briefs, tights, long sleeve top, fleece vest and club wind jacket. Should have gone with two shirts in lieu of the vest. Hat, double gloves (reduced to single half way through), neck bandanna, and a pair of Adrenaline GTS 7’s.

Breakfast Report
Two packs of oatmeal, wheat bagel w/ margarine, and OJ. Medium DuDo's cup of coffee en route. Banana before the start.

Result Summary
16 miles in 2:20:31 – 8:47 avg.

In-race Nutrition
Couple ounces of Gatorade at 3, 6, 9, and 12.  One triberry Gu at 9. (You know it’s cold out when you have to chew your Gu.)

Evaluation against goals:
I had two goals: have fun and stay under 9s’.

Fun
Yah, this a great race.  All the regulars are there. I saw club friends, friends from other clubs, online friends, and homies. It was a blast! And out on the course, it was warmer, sunnier, and less windy than expected. I stayed in control the whole way, and enjoyed myself. 

Stay under 9’s
This race is a bit crazy 'cuz the course has got some huge hills. Particularly because I'd spent the previous day skiing, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold steady on those but that remained the goal.

Mile 1-4 were nice and steady.  The sun was out, there was a huge crowd, I was running steady playing with the HRM. I was staying in the low 130’s and still holding 8:45 or so on the gentle climbs.I thought I should slow down but things felt right and it was easy.  Figured maybe if I banked a bit, I'd make up for it on the hills.

The first real climb is at about 4.5 and I managed to stay steady and mostly run up it. Felt good. Ditto the climb at 6. I was good most of the way up and was enjoying the sun.

The real fun starts about 9.5. You make a left turn and… Hello hill!  I power-walked the steepest section and there was a guy running along side me who turns to me and says “WTF? You’re walking and gaining on me!” I used the same technique on the big hill at 11 – power walking the steepest parts. (My mantra was “we may all have to walk… but we don’t have to walk slow!)

Once over the big hill, I knew I had it in the bag.  I gained a number of positions late as others faded. My last three miles were the fastest of the day at (8:24, 8:13, 8:05) and I still had some in the tank so… Victory!

Summary

This is a great race every time. It's well run, a challenging course, and draws a fun crowd. I'll go back!