Good race. New PB. Need to do more long runs.

Race is in the bag. Time of 2:15 and some change. That is a full 7 minutes faster than my last. So hooray for that. My goal was 2-2:10. 2:15 isn't far off. I'll get it next year. The medals are cool looking. 

I might take a try to complete the Chicago Half Marathon Series. It's 3 races. We'll see. Let's not wear the bear before it's dead. Winter is coming. 

Overall the race was ok. It was a pretty much an out and back course with very little turns or elevation changes. There were plenty of water stops but I skipped quite a few of them until mile five or six. I feel like I fueled pretty efficiently. I started eating my cliff bar at around mile five and I finish at around mile nine. It was not a whole bar because I can only carry so much. However I planned it like that because I knew soon they were passing out Gu gels. I had a chocolate one and I think I figured out the secret to taking one. I would take a little bit and swig it with a little bit of water and mix it in my mouth. It tasted just like chocolate syrup. Without the water it tasted like ass and I wanted to spit it back out of my mouth. Although I fueled efficiently my legs gave out at around mile 10, maybe somewhere between 10 and 11. The mind, lungs, and heart were willing, but the legs said no more.  I had to walk a little bit but I kept my walking to a minimum and my pace never dropped below 11:38 minutes a mile. Before mile 10 my pace was 10 min which is exactly what I wanted. 

Around mile seven I was keeping pace with the 2:10 Pace team and I lost sight of them. I do not know if my pace slowed down or if they just took off but all of a sudden I was 50 yards behind them. I am good at keeping pace, not catching up. Oh well. Just means I need to put in longer runs. Do more miles. 

The bag check pickup was a cluster fuck. None of the bags were organized. I waited a full 45 minutes just to get my gear. Oh well. Gave my lady and Billy a chance to sniff me out. Billy actually found me first. He pulled her over to me which was pretty cool. I still wish he had been able to run. He would be stupid happy right now. 

I think I might do the Chicago Hot Choclate 15/k and call it a race season. Maybe. We will see how the winter goes.