So the Jim-N-I was today. What a great event. It's out in Sullivan, IN by a beautiful lake. Rowan and I arrived there just as the bike section was finishing. I almost fell over when I saw Bill Deckard ride in first. Not that I was surprised he was first...but that he was there at ALL. I think his plane home from Europe landed in Indy just a few hours prior to the race! Close behind him were all the others, including Tim.
Then it was time for the run. It was not run as a traditional tri. Once everyone finishes a section, they all take their time getting ready for the next one. Changing clothes, eating, etc. And then everyone starts the next stage together. Which meant we all started the run together. There were several others only doing the run. Some had only done the bike ride. It was just whatever you wanted to do. Perfect.
It was hot. But, more than that, it was humid. Just...gross outside. I had no idea how this run/race was going to go. Was it a group run? A group run for a while and then race at the end? I was just up to go for whatever the others did. We took off. Bill was in the lead, and I pulled up beside him. Tim pulled up beside me. We were still more or less a group at this point, and there was lots of talking. It was around an 8 minute pace the first mile. The second mile was about the same. It felt uncomfortably slow to me...I don't know why. It was hot, I'm not very fit, and I hadn't really eaten anything. Anyway, I pushed a little and Tim and two others (Mike Jarrard and a Sullivan) came with us. We were very soon in the 7:30 range, and I felt better. We began to gap the group behind us. We arrived at the aid station at 3 miles (wonderful...ice cold water!) and Mike announced he could go no further at that pace. I grabbed a bottle, drank some, dumped it over my head, and went on. I knew if I stopped I'd slow down just because everything starts to tighten up.
Soon, I heard footsteps behind me. It was Miller. As in....my husband. Then the Sullivan. He pulled in front of me and Tim...maybe 30 meters. I looked down and we were around a 6:54 pace. I decided right then to make this a marathon pace run. My goal was to hold 7:13s to the finish. Just let everyone else go by me and hold that. I'm too early in my cycle to be all-out racing a 9 mile race.
Tim stuck with me, which really irritates me. I know he can go faster. I don't like him using me as an excuse to take it easy. But he didn't act like it was THAT easy. He was breathing harder than usual. Then I realized...he swam a mile, rode 50, and now he's doing this. No wonder. At the 6 mile mark, the other guy got to the aid station first. And he stopped. He wanted no more of this swamp of a run.
So it was just me and Tim going onward. I looked behind and could not see the other group. We took off and I still tried to maintain that pace. Around 6.5 miles, Tim started picking it up. So I responded by doing the same. And then reminded myself that 1) I'm trying to hold marathon pace and 2) I'll never beat him and could kill myself trying. So I let him go.
Around 7, I was kind of ready to be done. Not like the end of a race, but I was just so hot and tired. I was still holding my pace, and I noticed that Tim had come back a little. I thought maybe I'd catch him.
Wrong. At 8, he took off. Could hardly even see him. I crossed about 35 seconds after he did, and I'm not sure of my exact time because I didn't stop my watch (rare!)...but when I stopped it it was right at 68 minutes. So I'd say I was around 67:30 ish. Definitely not what I hope I can run a 15K in, but good for what it was. The only reason I beat a lot of those guys behind me (Bill, for example), is because they were exhausted from the bike. Still, though, I chicked them all! Except Tim. Who I THINK won the tri overall.
Now, to the other name in my title. Sara Jane, as you may have seen announced quite boldly on my facebook wall last week, ran a 4:23 at Grandma's. Her old PR was 4:47 and our goal for the race was 4:26. Um...yeah. 3 minutes under. Know what else? She had a major negative split and her last mile was by far the fastest. Meaning she could have gone way faster.
Her NYC marathon training starts next week. I will divulge more of my plan once I've shared more of it with her. But look out--she's going to rock NY!
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