Overall Finish: 53rd (Out of 703 finishers)
Age Group Finish (39 and under, male): 46th
Splits:
7:55, 7:08, 7:11, 6:51, 7:12 (36:17)
7:12, 7:08, 7:14, 7:22, 7:27 (36:23, 1:12:40)
7:17, 7:36, 7:22, 7:13, 7:24 (36:52, 1:49:32)
7:26, 7:27, 7:16, 7:18, 6:57 (36:24, 2:25:56)
Yeah, it's kinda like that.
Though the temperatures were on the rebound from the dismal 30-degree days that suddenly popped up on us, the wind was far from forgiving, especially when it came to race time on the Maine and New Hampshire coastline. The strangest part was that it was a south wind, which is usually warmer than its northern counterpart. It wasn't. The early spring weather in New England is unpredictable at best, and today was no exception.
It was chilly when the race started by the Naval Shipyard in Kittery, but that sensation always goes away once warmed up. The first mile was slow as I employed my usual running at the middle of the pack and find pockets to pick up speed and break through. By the time I passed the Memorial Bridge into Portsmouth, I could stretch out and find that ideal pace.
The next several miles were actually pleasant, and I found myself at times going faster than I expected. Part of me wanted to turn it up but another part knew that this feeling wouldn't last for long. Once I was within sight of the Atlantic Ocean on mile 7, the wind went to overdrive and blasted me in the face. This is what I would experience for almost two-thirds of the race.
For the next 10 miles I would struggle to keep myself around 7:15, only managing to do so for a few of those miles. The inland stretch between miles 13 to 18 gave me relief from the wind but my energy was already spent and I focused on conserving what I had left. No matter what was flying in my face in the last two miles I would put as much effort as I could into it.
As I turned the corner to get back on Route 1A and passed the 18-mile mark, I stepped it up. The wind once again pushed hard. Sand, debris, dehydration, and breathing problems all hit on that final stretch but I let my adrenaline take over and fought the weather as much as I could. I did notice, however, that many runners were also struggling and falling off their mark too. This was killing everyone, but I was determind not to let it kill me.
I pushed myself over the finish line under 2 hours, 26 minutes. While I didn't hit the sub-2:25:00 that I wished for, it was better than I was expecting when I started the race. Mother Nature threw a lot at me today, and I still ran my best time for a 20-mile run - almost a full minute over last year's time. It's another good mark on my path toward the 3:10:59 marathon goal.
