The day started off on the depressing side, I was up on and off thought out the night.  Not sure if it was nervousness or the amount of Gatorade I drank trying to hydrate myself.  Anyway 0630 came pretty fast.  On the drive towards London (2 hours) the skies were gray and rainy and I started to wonder if my Garmin 201 would get a GPS signal...my whole race strategy was built around running at the proper pace, but what if? 

    Once we arrived in Watford the event organizers had everything well laid out and set up very professionally.  At the Race HQ they had a vendor selling goods, race shirts, leg massages and info about the course.  My first time running in a big event (2000+ runners) and I was very pleased with the setup.  And as luck would have it the sun broke through. 

    Moving to the starting line they had it broken out by finishing times and I found my two hour starting zone.  At first it was me with just a hand full of people, but second by second it filled up fast.  There I stood working out pace info and waiting for the gun to go off.   With 2000 runners the start quickly got very crowed, but the crowd was easy going and the start got off without a hitch. 

The Start: 

    I wanted to run a smart race, go out slow, reach halfway then attack finishing strong.  The course was advertised as "undulating" the profile showed five good hill climbs (mile 1, 4, 5.5, 8 and 12) with very few flat sections.   I knew going into the race that I had to conserve my energy if I wanted to get near my goal of sub 2 hours, I could not let the hills rob me of my legs.  First mile had a nice descent and I kept my feet pushing on at 9:10/9:30 pace even though this felt liking I was walking.  At the end of this first mile we hit the first of some very tough climbs and I have to say I was not ready for this.  To this point all of my training has been done on flat roads and trails, I knew if I wanted to live I had to ease into the hills.  Attacking hill number one I down shifted into a lower gear and eased into it slowly telling myself  "if you burn up energy now, you will die later"...made the top at 10:00 pace. 

    Miles two thru four were about the only flat section of the course and I settled into a easy gate, tracking with a sub 9:00 pace trying to make up a little ground, but not burning to much gas.  Before the race I had studied the profile and knew a big climb was coming.  Mile four started off with a 30 meter grade change, that might not sound like a lot but it was done over the course of about 300 yards.  This hill took a bit more of an effort but my lower gear routine paid off as I was able to again climb at 10:00 pace passing people along the way.  I may have been tired but my breathing was not nearly as bad a few runners around me. 

The Middle:

    Mile six came on with a 50 meter change in grade, again in such short a distance that it seamed as if we were going nearly straight up.  Half way up my charge of 10:00 pace turned into shuffling of the feet and legs that burned..."Oh Brian...this is sucking energy you'll need later out of you."  Half way up I remembered a line out of Lance Armstrong's book "you hook on to a wheel of a rider in front of you and let them pull you up"  Of course Lance would have been attacking up this hill but I had just had to make it and I did.  I zeroed in on a runner in front of me and let them pull me to the top.  Over the next two miles my legs were again able to recover, which surprised me and enabled me to log some distances at 8:30 pace. 

    Mile eight hill was preceded by a decent which set me up for what felt like the bottom of my tank.  Hitting bottom the upside of the hill hit my eyes and legs.  Again not much of a total climb but done over such a short distance that it hurt...oh it hurt.  Again finding someone to hook on to I attacked this hill not allowing myself to drop away from my partner, 10:00 pace turned into 11:00 and I glanced at my watch and saw the worst thing I could 12:15....I had to keep those legs moving.  Then my ride bailed out, it was up to me to finish off this hill.  The last few yards took what felt like forever but with a slow and steady shuffle I made it to the top.  I had lost some time on that one but it had not broke me...that had to count for something! 

    Thru mile 12 was mixed descents with small climbs and my legs some how recovered and provided a few miles of 8:00 pace and moments when I could wheel off some 7:30 times.  But the hill at mile 12 was about to show its ugly head.  A winding climb of just 30 meters but done over maybe 75 yards. The final attack was on....  My legs were shot, my lungs were heaving and my brain was tired of the hills, I wanted to blast into the hills like Lance Armstrong, but survival mode had kicked in, all I could do was make it to the top and hope my legs came back again.  The last few yards of this climb I thought I was walking. Cresting the top I knew I was done with the worst part of the run.  Easy sailing from here, right?  No way my legs were shot...I wanted to close with 7:00 mpm speed but the best I could muster was 8:30 or even a 9:00.  Was my sub 2 hour dream dead...had I given it up in the hills? 

The end: 

    I looked at my watch at mile 12.5,  with my tired and exhausted brain, I figured out I had 10+ minutes left to the two hour mark, all I had to do was to keep on running.  With the hills behind me and just half mile to go we entered the park where we had began, I caught a glimpse of the finish line, then my wife taking pictures.  I wondered how I must look, could she see the pain and effort in my eyes?  Would I look like death?  She gave me a high five as I went by. 1:50 something, with about half mile to go.  I tried to hit fourth gear...I wanted so badly to finish strong, but my legs were gone...not much left.  8:30 pace felt like over drive to my heart, I had nothing left to give, my lungs heaved, and my legs burnt.  If finishing strong was 8:30 then that was what it had to be... At 1 hour 55 minutes and 1 second I crossed the line. 

Run Hard....