It's now been just over 48 hours since I finished the Flying Pig. Still a little stiff in the quads and hamstrings but over all feeling really good. Sunday was a warm stormy morning. Lighting was flashing in the sky as thousands of people took to the streets of Cincinnati waiting for the race to begin. Our feet were squishing in our shoes before the gun even went off.
As the sun started to rise the rain tapered off a bit coming and going as the miles added up. It didn't take long before I realized I had lined up way to far back in the corral. I was weaving back and fourth across the the roads trying to gain ground for the first few miles. I was finally able to pass the 4 hour pacer around mile 8. Things were looking good. I felt great, I had conquered THE HILL with ease. Then suddenly it happened without notice. Both of my hamstrings cramped up. I stooped for a minute and tried to stretch them out several times but couldn't shake them. I kept on pushing but knew I wasn't going to be able to keep my sub 4 pace.
Somewhere around mile 16 the 4 hour pacer caught back up with me. I insisted on sticking with them as long as I could but eventually I could no longer see them. Somewhere around mile 21 or 22 the 4:15 group caught up with me and that's when my heart dropped. I really wanted to hit the goal of a sub 4. At this point I knew it wasn't going to happen so I went to a run walk routine.
In the end I finished with a time of 4:15:55. Despite the rain, cramps, 4 hours of sleep, and a hilly ass coarse I was still able to set a new PR by 38 minutes. Kim and Spen were awesome also, cheering me on at several different locations along the coarse. Can't wait to try again next year.
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