Get Ready to Rock - 2:58:49

Today was great for a run, overcast with perfect temperatures.  Lucky for me I was signed up for a race around Bald Eagle Lake in White Bear Lake, MN (link).  This was a 20 mile race, and my previous farthest run was only 18.  This was going to be a real test.  Lucky for me Pacer Sam from the Minnesota Pacers was leading the 3 hour group (9 min miles) and that is exactly what I wanted to do. 

This was also the first race that I was going all out on Hammer Nutrition products.  No details, but to summarize I skipped solid food for breakfast and only took Hammer supplements.  At the 1 hour and the 2 hour marks I took more Hammer Supplements, and along the way I drank Hammer Perpetuem. 

So how was the race?  Awesome.  Unknown to me, my alarm clock was set 10 min behind, so I was running late from the start.  Then construction on the drive blocked the road (yes, the ENTIRE road was blocked with no detour signs).  The internal compass worked fine and I was back on track in a few minutes to arrive at the parking lot.  And it was EMPTY!!  Most people parked on the other side of the school, so I had plenty of spots to choose from.  The T-shirt was very nice, in a light blue color.  I took care of business and was in my car resting in no time.  But first I ran into Blogger Julie and had to say hi.

I lined up with Pacer Sam and what would turn into a group of about 15 runners, all going for 3 hrs.  It seemed most people lined up by pace as only a few times did we need to pass or be passed by other runners.  The course is fairly flat with about 5 miles in neighborhoods before the two loops around Bald Eagle Lake.  I was excited as mile 10 grew close because just after the mile marker my wife and kids were waiting.  They all yelled when they saw me and I swapped my Fuel Belt bottles for new ones.  The rest of the race was good till about mile 16.  Then it became a real challenge to stay with Pacer Sam.  He was very good a motivating everyone to pick up the pace till it was just Sam and I at mile 18.  I stuck with him till mile 19 when he all but pushed me to finish strong.  Over that last mile I had spurts of strong running but was able to really dig in as the finishers shoot appeared.  That last mile was 8:16.  It helped that my wife and kids were all yelling for me. 

Official Results:
88 out of 210
Time 2:58:49
Pace 8:57