Liz and Brad's Big Adventures: Headwinds + hills = yikes!

Sunday was race day - time to put my three+ months of training (long runs, tempo runs, intervals, pace runs!) to the test and see what I could do.

The Heart Breaker Half's 8 a.m. start meant I didn't have to get up too early. Ready to go!

It was above 40*, so I decided on shorts, T-shirt, arm warmers and gloves to start. And a hat because it was supposed to be showery. Other people were in long tights, jackets, stocking caps. I did some second guessing but convinced myself that I needed to stick with the plan. Good thing I did - I was dressed perfectly. And most jacket-clad racers around me ripped off those things right away!

Last year's race was a dream. I was hoping to recreate the magic, but it just didn't happen. This one was tough!

The weather was perfect - completely dry - except for the sustained wind. I had to run with my head down, and I grabbed for my hat a couple times when the wind tried to take it away.

And it was so hilly... way hillier than I remembered from last year. The course's only flat stretch faced directly into the wind, so no help there. (Because it was a double loop, we did that section twice. It truly felt like I was running with a parachute attached to my back!)

I kept on my target pace for the first few miles before it slowly slipped away. Positive splits, baby! I knew pretty soon that my goal of 2:00 wasn't going to happen. Then when I had to take a few walk breaks, I felt a PR slipping away.

I mustered everything I had and kicked across the finish line with friends and family cheering me on!

My time - 2:06:32, a 9:39 pace: