Our team, Smells Like Run Spirit, finished the Breast Cancer Marathon Relay in 4:30:21, coming in 87 out of 247 (looking at the results again, this is inaccurate because there are teams listed multiple times since people clearly failed to remove their chips after their leg. Removing the duplicates, 71/190 seems more accurate). That's the fastest marathon finish time I'll probably ever be associated with, by about an hour, LOL! This was so much fun, and I was so impressed with the race that I plan to do the full marathon on my own next year.
My goal was to run the 5 miles in 55 minutes, or at least PR (< 57:24), and I nailed both! I'm surprise that I ran this well without walk breaks, but the weather was perfect and the energy of the crowd contagious; I'm sure the GU Roctane I took at the start of the leg also helped. I only stopped 2 or 3 times for a few seconds to wash down the gu and eat some grapes during the first 2 miles.
My plan was to run each mile and walk through the water stops, but I felt so good that I didn't need any water during the last 3 miles. I paced myself really well and ended up with perfect negative splits (11:36 - 11:27 - 11:16 - 10:49 - 9:51). I gave it everything I had during that last mile, and I was so happy when I crossed that mat in 55 minutes that I cried. I haven't done that in a race since my first half marathon.
I knew I could do it, but I wasn't expecting it since I didn't intend to push myself nor was I doing my intervals. I think that's why I cried tears of joy when I finished. I always get emotional when I give it my all and it pays off :) The entire run simply felt amazing, even if a little uncomfortable at the end but it was worth it.
I pulled myself together and caught the shuttle to the finish line. After a few snacks, I reunited with Jason and his dad to wait for my dad to finish the last leg. I walked to meet him and we ran the last 1/3 of a mile together. Jason and his dad joined us for the last 1/10 and the 4 of us crossed the finish line together. Mom did the first leg but went back to the hotel to rest because she was sick, so she wasn't there at the end. I'm sad she didn't get to share that moment with us and is not in the official finish line photo, but I'm glad she was still able to run her leg. She's now ready to tackle a 10K! :)
Team Relay Leg Splits
| finish time | net time | pace | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mom (miles 1-5) | 1:10:05 | 1:10:05 | 0:14:01 |
| Jason (miles 5-10) | 1:50:16 | 0:40:11 | 0:08:02 |
| Me (miles 10-15) | 2:45:15 | 0:54:59 | 0:10:59 |
| Bob (miles 15-20) | 3:24:47 | 0:39:32 | 0:07:54 |
| Dad (miles 20-26.2) | 4:30:21 | 1:05:34 | 0:10:34 |
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