A good long run and a nasty 5k

So I went to fort worth with Terri and Ellie. I had been sick and had not really run in 10 days. I had no idea what was going to happen.
The night before was a mess. We couldn't find a place to eat. Traveling with a 6 yr old is tough and I was stressed about the race.
No one got much sleep that night. Ellie kept waking me up, the bed was small, etc etc.
So when the alarm went off at 4:30 it was hard to get out of bed.

Cowtown marathon 2012 4:19 by my watch, 4:22 by theirs.
That is the bad news.
The good news is that I finished at all.
I felt my hamstrings talking about cramping at mile 3 and seriously considered dropping down to the 13.1.
Instead, I let go of a sub 4hr race, kept my garmin on heart rate only and just went for a jog.
My cramps went away and I just focused on keeping my hr in the 155 area.
By mile 8 I had stopped to pee 3 times losing 5 minutes to standing in line. But I didn't try and make the time up. By then I was shooting for a sub 4:20
And I figured my best chance was to go out slow and push the blow up point as far into the race as I could.
There was a 10 to 20mi/hr wind out of the south as usual. We start heading north for the first 6mi then work our way into the wind till mi 18.
Mi 18 is the highest point on the course in terms of elevation. It is also the point where we turn north and get the wind at our back. It was the high point of the race for me. I felt ok and was in position to or by 5 or 10 min.
Mile 20 was a time check for me. Goal pace was 3:00 even. I had done it in training and it would have put me in a position to run a 1hr 10k to hit 4 hrs.
I crossed at about 3:12 but still felt optimistic because I was downhill and an hr 10k would still be a pr.
My first lock up cramp came at mi 21.5
It was a high hamstring on the right.
I stretched and it cleared. But once they start, they come back. From there on every 1/2 mi or so I had to stretch.
That was also the point where the race got hard. I would will myself to the next mile marker and walk for a minute. Then run towards the next one and get a ham cramp.
Mile 23 was the low point I think. But the good news here is that I was so close to the finish. Even though it was an 11:18 mi it was ok because most of the race was in the bag at that point.
The last 1.5mi of this race is up hill!!!
Really tough. I show a 10:56 pace for mi 26 but it felt much slower.
Going up the finisher chute, my 6yr old comes out of nowhere and takes my hand and crosses with me.
I cross the line and hit my watch to see 4:19. A 1min pr. I was happy. All I wanted those last few miles was to push hard enough to pr. This is the only Mary I am running this year and all I wanted was a pr.
After the race, I saw where they texted me my time. It said 4:22. It was like a punch in the gut. My old pr is 4:20. 4:19 gets it, 4:22 does not. What is worse is that I focused all my energy the last 5 mi on getting my body across the line before my watch said 4:20. There were no clocks on the course and I had no reason to think my watch ate 3 minutes. But I have no reason to think their timer did either.
For now I am going to hold on to my 4:19. And more importantly the sheer will it took to beat my watch to the finish line.
I'm not sure what the training takeaways are yet. Given my poor timed bout of the flu. But here are a few:
The 20mi runs helped. My head was in a good spot at mi 18 and part of that was because I had gone 20 before.
I had ham cramps starting at 21.5 but never had quad or calf cramps. That is a first.
The concentrated infinite worked but lugging 40oz of liquid with me on the course is a drag. Next time I want to try carrying flasks of mix and mixing on the go. Or, carrying 20oz of super concentrate and hitting more water stops to supplement. I only hit 3 or 4 water stops this time.
Less coffee before the race. 3 pee breaks cost me 4 minutes with the lines.
At some point, if I really want to put up a good time, I am going to have to run more. Like 5x a week. I don't know if I am willing to give up what I would have to give up to do that.
I am so ready to get back on my bike!!! And to participate in the Crossfit games and get my strength back. On to the next one. I have a couple of charity rides planned for the spring.

Yesterday while I was resting after the race Terri and Ellie ran across a humane society adoption center. They fell for a Mastiff mix puppy. He will be making the drive back to san antonio with us later today. Not sure what we will name him yet.