Shannon Costello

2007- time:  2:14:52  pace:  10:18

2008- time:  2:13:44  pace:  10:13  10k split: 1:02:09 split pace:  10:00

2009- time:  2:09:07  pace:   9:51   10k split: 59:40  split pace:  9:37

A really great race!  I’m thrilled…and a little worried about how to match it next year. I think I improved because I pushed more in my training runs (running with someone who’s faster helps) and because I ran two 11-mile runs in preparation (which was sort of an accident).

I ran a little more seriously:  cut out extra talking/cheering (though I did applaud the saxophonist), walked less at water stops (but drank (powerade and water) and ate more GU), pushed harder, and passed more people.  The last 5 miles were a little disappointing- at least one mile took me 11 minutes.  I was on pace to finish in about 2 hours at the halfway point.  But I was feeling pretty tired.  At that stage I couldn’t drink or eat anything in big swallows because it wouldn’t go down.  I had GU smeared on my face because it wouldn’t all stay in.  And I was wondering about vomiting.

I was fairly badly blistered by the end- including a new PR for blood blisters.  I’ll lose at least the usual toenails.   But I had been having various foot-ache problems (four weeks ago I wasn’t sure I’d be able to run) and they were not an issue today.

I was dreading the cold  (around 30 degrees), but I was actually overdressed.  I started with a two long-sleeve shirts (one lightweight, one medium-weight) and a jacket.  CJ took my jacket at mile 3 or so, and I took off the second shirt (and even switched my race number in hopes that the photographers would actually get identifiable pictures of me!) soon after.  On the other hand I wasn’t cold at the starting line.  And the weather felt great during the race.

It would be nice to run negative splits some time, but I’m realizing that kind of thinking can be problematic for me, because I focus on not starting too quickly, meaning that I run slow the first half and slower the second.  This time I ran as fast as I wanted to.   I’m thinking I want to work on pushing faster through those last five miles- and my end of the race kick was kind of weak.  Not that I had too much left.  I was thinking about the marathoners at the end- I couldn’t imagine running 13 more miles.

I always feel like I want to cry at the end of the race (cause I’m so tired), but that feeling was much more fleeting this time.   On the other hand, by the time I got home I felt like all my body heat was gone and that I was just one big shivering mass of goose bumps.  I don’t remember feeling that badly last year.  But then, by the end of the day, the only thing really going through my mind was some sort of primal victory scream.  I did it!