not just any dam award

(look closely at the plaque, it says "dam award"

Components were in place for a good run... cool, drizzly weather, my training had been going well, 15K is my kinda distance, rolling hills... but the one mile hill from 5-6 had me adjusting expectations. What was my uphill pace at races like Bridge of Flowers or Mt Washington? This hill had a chance to really sink my hopes for a PR. I lined up front with Steve Wolfe and Ernst Linder and scanned female competition. A 20 something Saucony sponsored girl looked fit and went out hard with the guys. I made a mental note that no other women passed me as I started picking off guys.

I missed the 5 mile marker and was already on the hill, practicing goat tricks I learned particularly at Mt Washington. I had driven the last 3.3ish section of the course and volunteers let me know when I was near the top, plus working from advice that it finishes downhill, I told myself to try to keep pushing hard... see if my legs could hold up those last 3.3 miles after that 1 mile uphill beat-up session.

Turns out my final 3 miles were 6:57, 6:46, 6:40, but I was too focused to notice... no thoughts limiting what my body was going to give me. I knew I wanted to break my Upton PR of 1:12:21, but wasn't sure I had a chance here with that monumental 1 mile uphill, so just kept pushing and didn't look at my total time once along the course. As I neared the line, a bystander held up 2 fingers and said "2nd woman" so I smiled, but relentlessly didn't let up until over that line. I looked at the clock and my watch as I crossed, 1:06:13, and astonished that I had beaten what I wanted to do by 6 minutes!!!! Disbelief!!!! You don't get many days like that, do you?

I did a 20 minute warm-down with the very nice women's winner, Lisa Jacobs. She was doing 16 for the day, so I kept up, chatted and bowed out when we got near our cars so I could slam some recovery drink. They had a fantastic post-race bar-b-que, better food than Rhody... I left a message for PRof Braz and headed home for an ice bath and top rate celebration weekend.

2nd woman (9th runner overall)
1:06:13 (6 minute PR)
7:07 pace

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