Bay State Marathon

Well, needless to say the race didn't go the way I had planned. I knew it wasn't going to be the day to run a good time with the conditions being what they were. It was a fun day though I really wanted to stay with Joseph Koech and see how long I could hang I was surprised and worried that I seemed to be in control of the tempo very early on. Joseph and I were hovering around 5:35 pace for most of 16 miles (behind schedule). It was at the 16 mile split 5:38 that I realized he didn't want anything to do with a faster pace. Mile 17 was 5:40. My confidence grew. The 18 mile mark is what did it for me (5:41). I knew I was going to have to run my own race and I decided to go back under 5:30 pace. I quickly gapped the field and felt relatively comfortable through mile 24. I thought I had 2 minutes on second place and keyed it down to just bring it in. To my surprise Brandon Newbould flew by me like I was a back of the pack half marathoner at not the 25 mile mark, but the 1 mile to go mark. It took me a bit to realize what just happened and I quickly tried to catch up. My legs had a different plan. They had graciously adapted to the 6:10 pace I had ordered and weren't going to give me anything back. Kudos to Brandon for running a much more consist and race and finishing so well. I actually think the highlight of my day was being able to watch my friend and training partner, Andy McCarron finish in 2:29. He has been stuck at 2:30 for the last few attempts and really wanted this one. The look on his face said it all. I am also very excited to have been a part of the CMS championship marathon squad. I knew we could do it and it feels good. One more big race (50K Worlds)for me and I am going to take a few weeks off, reevaluate my goals for the upcoming year, and get ready for indoor and snowshoe season. Great job to all the finishers on a hard day! Here is an article on the race:
http://www.lowellsun.com/sports/ci_13593264