Eastern States 20M - 2:25:25 / 7:16

Final Time: 2:25:25
Pace: 7:16
Rank: 91/573

Eastern States 20M Results

Instead of Mudders & Grunters, I opted to race the Eastern States 20 Miler in Kittery, Maine. This was another option since I opted out of the Shamrock marathon for logistical reasons. Hence making it my last long run on a scenic course, free technical tee and a couple of hours away from the city have coaxed me into registering for this race.



Despite the freezing, wet and windy conditions out of any runners' control, the race was well-organized and a great way to run across 3 states (ME, NH & MA). During the start, I really didn't mind the windy rain, but the cold air and the sea breeze made it very unsettling and uncomfortable. However, I really can't complain about the weather because like I said from time to time that you have to adapt to these conditions. Yes the conditions were not ideal and there were times especially on mile 5 where i uttered: "what the heck did I get myself into?"; every runner is going through the same ordeal so I have to do my best to soldier on. Hence no complaints and just put one foot over another; in other words, keep it simple. But I have to say during the race, I had an ADD moment where my mind wandered off by reliving the two consecutive morrissey concerts. Even with other tunes in my ipod, songs from Years of Refusal as well as Southpaw Grammar were lingering in my head.



It was really by mile 12-13 when I started to feel more comfortable with the race. Whatever it is, I'm pretty happy to experience these conditions and hopefully it will be a good-tune for races to come. Till then, I've raced for 4 consecutive weekends; so I will not be running in any NYRR or non-NYRR races before 4/20. Overall, I think it is time for some mental/physical break!


On a side note, during our bus to the start, there were tons of conversations on runners with their Garmins and Polars. Man, I wanted to hid my head in shame as I covered my $20 ironman watch under my gloves! Oh well, to each of its own.

Splits:
Miles 1-7: 50:10:97
Miles 8-10: 21:31:97
Mile 11: 7:09:04
Mile 12: 7:11:57
Mile 13: 7:20:24
Mile 14: 7:16:43
Mile 15: 7:30:55
Mile 16: 7:18:26
Mile 17: 7:23:50
Mile 18: 7:47:68
Mile 19: 7:04:69
Mile 20: 7:21:28

Cheers,
Moz