It was hot.  So hot they moved the start time back an hour.  That was a good move.  By the end of my run the course warnings were up to Red (at Black they stop the race).  Knowing that it was going to be hot and humid I came into it with a  different hydration and fuel game and I think it was the right move.  I didn't bonk like last race.  I didn't throw up, like a few recent races.

I decided to forgo the Electrolyte pills as they always made me feel a bit queazy even when I hadn't been running and stuck to Banana, a little baggie of salt, and instead of just water using a GU electrolyte tablet in my water bottle.  That poor banana made it to mile 18.5 before it was not pleasant or useful to carry any more.  I started eating it around mile 10; had some near mile 15; took my last bite at mile 18.  The stub that remained was quickly turning to mush so I ditched it in the woods.

The course is really lovely in the beginning first 10-11 miles mostly downgrade quiet forested roads.  But then it hits a bit more commercial and residential and some ups and downs.  Of course that is when the heat really started to hit.  I had been doing 8:30-8:45 pacing until around mile 19 then the slog started.  Pace dropped and dropped due to stopping to walk a couple of times.  Started to hover around 10:30 for the last few miles.  But in the end, I felt good (and ready to finish).  I had thought I was finishing around four and half hours so coming it at 4:07 was a pleasant surprise.

I did the entire race based off of keeping my heart rate under 145 for the first 9 miles, then under 155 for the rest of the race.  That seemed to suite me well for not over exhorting myself.

The start was a 7am start so that meant leaving at 4am.  Fortunately I road with my friend Rachel R who was running the half and was a big support for my finish.  It was a nice road trip and made coming back fun to talk about how the race went for the both of us.  She had finished with a 1:54 which was right on target with her training for NYC marathon which is coming up for both of us in a month and a half.