20 Mile Drop Race Report

Last Sunday was a good running day for me! Sure the weather conditions to race the 20 Mile Drop were not ideal but what choice did I have? I needed a fast 20 mile training run for my marathon in two weeks and I had already payed for the race and stayed at a hotel in Mentor Saturday night with my hubby who was also planning to run the race. So even though it was dreadful (pouring rain and around 34 degrees when we got up in the morning) we bundled up and made the drive to Fairport Harbor at 6am where we would catch a bus to drive us to the Chardon Square.

On the bus we ran into our friend Deb (from Cleve Tri Club) and chatted with her about the race and other stuff going on this season so the time went pretty quickly. Once we arrived in downtown Chardon I needed to use the porta-potties along with most of the other runners so there was a 10 minute wait and the rain was coming down hard. I had a poncho on to try and stay semi-dry before the race start and the grass we were standing on was wet and muddy so I tried to keep my feet as dry as possible. I hate starting a race with cold, wet feet!

The downhill part of the big Chardon hill!

The start was kindof a mess for me. I came out of the bathroom and panicked a little because I saw everyone walking on the other side of the Square and I was afraid I would miss the start so I quickly ran over and put my gels in my Capris (Skirt Sports Pocketopia Capris) and set my watch and removed my poncho. Then we were off. It was cold and rainy so I went out fast around a 7:15 first mile just to warm up. The race loops around the square before it heads towards to bike path in Chardon. Once I got onto the bike path I was already getting warm and fussing with my arm warmers to remove them (while running) as well as tucking in my baselayer tank (Skirt Sports Free Me Tank). Once I was situated I was able to settle in for the first big climb in Chardon. Ouch! That one is a doozy!

I didn't really feel cold since I was keeping a 7:30 pace for these early miles and I just tried to stay focused - taking in a gel about every 40 minutes. Miles 8-11 or so were pretty hard mentally for me. I felt like crap running through Quail Hollow and then there is a big climb in Concord by the exploration center where I stopped to take a salt tab. Part of me had wanted to drop out at the 10 mile point but I knew I needed the run so I pressed on. Once I got to the Greenway Trail I felt better and since I spent so many miles over the years we lived in Mentor running on this trail it felt familiar and good.

I decided to see if I could hit the half marathon mark around my normal pace of 1:39-1:40 and I did so then I told myself to see if I could just hold it until 25K and I did. I was passing some of the 10 mile runners and then more and more and I just told myself to keep hammering the pace because it's only 4 miles and then I can get out of the rain and wet clothes. The last couple of miles were physically hard because my quads were cramping up some and I was tired but I was able to keep my pace between 7:40-7:55 through the finish. I knew I was in first place for the 20 miler so I was excited to hit the finish line and hear my name announced. I finished in 2:34 and change so a good time for me average pace of 7:43 and my splits were pretty consistent through the whole race.

post race with some cash! Woohoo!

My husband Steve had a good race too and finished 3rd place with a time of 2:19. We both won some cash and got a finisher cup along with our awesome medals. I was excited to get dry clothes on and then head back to our hotel for a hot shower. We went to lunch at Willoughby Brewing and had a very hard earned post race hoppy beer and some food!

I am excited to see how the Hall of Fame marathon will go next weekend! I feel like I am ready for another BQ  and hopefully also a PR! Right now the weather looks ideal (low 40s high of 60ish). I am keeping my fingers crossed that it stays this way! You never know with the stupid weather we've had this spring in Ohio!

Now I just need to taper, stay healthy and wait for the big day next Sunday. Wish me luck!