Buffalo, Part 2

I ran my second half marathon in Buffalo last week.  I did pretty good.

I'm a much smarter runner than I was a year ago.  Mentally tougher.  I remember my mind spinning at registration last time.  Where do I go?  What are all these people doing here?  This time I felt like a seasoned pro.  It was more like a business trip.  Let's get my number and get back to the hotel room.  I've got some more hydrating to do.

 photo by J. Canole

The neti pot was invaluable all week.  I'm so glad I brought it.  I'm convinced I prevented a sinus infection from taking root in the week leading up to the race.

Race day - I lined up at 6:40 AM and it already felt warm.  It would be about 12 - 15 degrees hotter than last year by the time I finished.  There was a lot more hurling than last year.  People started dropping by miles 8 - 9.  One guy turned gray.  It was kinda gross.

The heat definitely slowed me down some.  I didn't dare skip a water station (How awesome would it be if I could get a team of volunteers to hand out water just for me on my long Sunday runs at home?  That would be great.)  I think I sweat more than I ever have in my life.

New this year at Buffalo was the pacer people.  Runners in orange shirts with times posted on the back in big numbers.  That was great.  If I could see the 2:05 guy, I was in good shape.  If I could see the 2:20 guy, I knew I needed to pick up the pace.

photo by J. Canole

I ended up doing a 2:17:21.  I didn't quite make my goal of 2:10 - 2:12.

BUT...

I still knocked 5 minutes off of last year's time. 

Plus I had a 3 minute train delay. I shit you not.

This was between miles 10 and 11.  Right as I'm trying to make my final push.  Last year I probably would have panicked a bit.  This year - meh.  Nothing I can do about it.  Just get a little rest and fly like the wind when the train finishes.

Part of my problem was that I ran too much earlier in the month.  I ended up going over 82 miles for the May (and I had never done 70 miles in month prior to that).  I didn't do a good job of sticking to my taper plan.  Now I know better.

I'm giving myself two weeks off after the race to recover (both mentally and physically).  I need it.

photo by J. Canole