Coach Bubba Race Report

Gotta do this while it's still fresh in my head...

Started off about 2.5 miles away from the race. Since I only ran 4 miles total the week before my original race plan was out the door and I was supposed to run 17 miles total for the day. I ran the 2.5 mile warmup, then got my chip and hit the bathroom and waited for the start. Started off with Cindy, who was not thinking today :-), but lost her at about the 1/2 mile mark. I was hoping to stay around 10 min pace through the beginning hilly part in the neighborhoods, then when I hit the tobacco trail, see what I could do.
Mile 1 was 9:50 and I had to constantly slow myself or I would have gone too fast.
Mile 2 was 9:42, but now I really had that feeling that I needed to go so I was looking for somewhere, but nothing
Mile 3 was 10:58, found a port a let and had to wait for one person, but better than going in someones front yard.
Mile 4 was 9:41, this pace was good and I was feeling good even on the hills
Mile 5 10:07, this was the hilliest mile of the race
Mile 6 9:32, Feeling good, but probably going too fast
Mile 7 9:46, with a walk break at the rest stop, I was planning to take a gel at this stop, and I did, but I was doing 9:15 when I came on the rest stop and after I hit the gel and got some water, it almost came right back up. Had to coast a while to recover.
Mile 8, 9:38 feeling good again and picking up the pace to try to break 2 hours.
Mile 9, 10:17 oops, had a gatorade at the turn around and once again had to hold it back or it was coming back up, and now my stomach was feeling sour. Time to abandon my hopes of breaking 2 hours. the plan now was just hold marathon race pace.
Mile 10, 9:44 doing ok, but stomach not happy
Mile 11, 9:48 starting to feel better, but this is mile 13.5 for me and my legs are saying, um you haven't held sub 10's for this long before what are you thinking?
Mile 12, 10:29 walk break at the last water stop. Just got water and it went down fine.
Mile 12.5, 4:27 for a 9:29 pace, it was all I could do to not take a walk break at the mile 12 sign, but there was a nice lady there cheering us on and I just couldn't do it to HER.

When I got done I was supposed to do a 2 mile cool down for 17 total, but did not. Instead I caught a ride to breakfast and my car. The way I was feeling it was for the best...

I really do like this race and all the miles I've put in made the hilly section easier. I think I could have broken 2 hours this year, but the 2.5 mile warmup and the bathroom break and then the gels did not help. I was taking nutrition for 17 miles, but doing a pace for 12.5 miles, not really the best way to do it. Live and learn.