Race Report - An out of body experience

Last year, my half-marathon goal was 1:45. I managed 1:59:37 - way off.

This year, I set a more modest goal for myself - 1:52:25 - I figure I'd get myself down to 1:45, by chipping away at it.

A couple of days before the race, I started thinking, I could definately do better than 1:52.

I lined up on Saturday morning for the Cornwall, Run to End MS 1/2 Marathon... 20 seconds... 10 seconds... 5.4.3.2.Horn...

...it was a perfect morning for running. Cool and overcast. A bit of a wind in the face for the first quarter.

The first kilometer felt comfortable - and I was shocked to see that it was actually much faster than I thought. The second kilometer, I settled in a bit.

And then, it struck me... am I training or racing? This is race day. I race maybe 4-5 times a year. Why hold back? "Balls to the Wall and Hang On!".

I was running very comfortably, I didn't feel ill whatsoever. The splits were beeping by on the Garmin... 4:54... 4:43... 4:30(!) I kept thinking to myself, "I can't hold this - this is crazy, I'm going to crash and burn." But I wasn't. It honestly felt like an out of body experience. Well, more like an in-body experience, but someone else was driving.

I crossed the finish line in 1:42:31.9

Whoa!!!! A 17 minute PB, beat my "safety" time by 10 minutes, smoked my dream by over 2 minutes. Yes. I was smiling all weekend.

The splits, from Garmin.