It’s safe to say this year’s Mountain Goat race was like no other. It was definitely the coldest I’ve been a part of, and the wettest (rain), and not to mention on a personal level sort of the craziest. Once again because of my work schedule the last three weeks I really hadn’t been able to get out and run even a mile. In the past it’s been a benefit because my legs are nice and rested, and by the first mile (8:08) it was certainly a positive. I believe I made my first mistake around Mile 3 when I decided to consume my first energy gel of the race. In the past I’ve always waited until Mile 5 (halfway point), but I’ve usually struggled through Mile 9 so I thought it would be better if I went with two energy gels – one around Mile 3 and the other around Mile 6. It was around Mile 4 that I started having stomach problems. To save you the details, it started with dry heaving as I entered Onondaga Park, and overall continued until entering Thornden Park when I finally found a Porta Potty. WOW am I am thankful for that bathroom! I don’t remember much between Mile 5 and Mile 7.5 simply because I was focused more on going one step at a time and basically not wanting to have a bathroom accident. Ironically this may have been a positive because it certainly helped me just keep going, even when I wanted to stop.
In the beginning of 2017 I wrote down goals for each distance – from 5k to Half Marathon. My goal for the Mountain Goat was a 9:15 pace, which is a time of 1:32:30. My timing chip had me finish with a Gun Time of 1:34:53 (9:30 pace), and an Actual Time of 1:24:30 (9:27 pace). These times are two minutes faster than last year, and something to be proud of absolutely. What these times include though was the two-minute bathroom stop I had to make. My Actual Time via my watch was 1:32:15!!! For a 10-mile distance this pace would be 9:13, and for the distance my watch calculated (10.18 miles) it’s a 9:03 pace!!! HOLY SMOKES – I HIT MY GOAL!!! I can’t believe it!!! I would be lying if I said I was super happy with my performance though. I hit my goal time, but I also know deep down I could have done better. Although considering all of the circumstances coming into the race, it’s definitely something to be proud about. Here’s to next year!
