Denouement

20C to start.  Joe Joe (a runner from HK) tells me it will not be a race to PR in, since it typically runs long and it will be warmer than normal.  

This race had a large footprint and masses of people (about 30,000 spread over four events, the half being the most popular), so 50 minutes was really not enough time to get ready.  The bag drop off took 10 minutes, and it was too big to try to keep my bag and change shoes so I was in my fast shoes for warm up.  Ran 3k plus strides for a warm up.  Talked with Mercy, the Kenyan who beat me last week.  She is my big competition that I know of, and the finish times are normally not that fast (1:20-1:23 for leader) so I think it is likely to be me and her.  Coach said to race it, not worry about the watch. So I wanted to go out with her but coach and I discussed that 3:35 was the maximum start pace. So the leisurely 1/2 marathon start, with easing into the pace was not to be in the cards this race day.  The elite marathoners started 3 minutes ahead of us, then the half marathon/marathon started at 7am.  Mercy was far from me down the starting line, but I kept my eye out for her after the gun goes off.  Here's how the race went:

k	Lap Time (Total Time)	Pace	Notes
1k	3:32ish	3:32	I did not see any k marker but in the first k, I saw her and go out with her, but at 500m or so I am cruising for 3:20 so slow down to control breathing and let her go, by k she is probably 70-80m ahead, dang
5k	18:06	3:36	Mercy is way ahead, by 2k she has opened up a 30 second lead on me, so I am running with guys and working with a pack of them, one is from CityU, the university my husband works at, and I think another guy is also a HKer, did not see 5k marker (at this point still didn't know what the k markers looked like), so my real 5k split was probably slower
6-8k (3.05k per watch)	11.14 (29:21)	3:45	The pack of guys I am with are going so fast, watch is saying 3:41 pace, and this is feeling like a 10k.  I tell myself that perhaps she will pay for her fast start more than I will.  I draft and let the guys pull me along, saw my first k marker so hit split, so slowed a bit here, but part of the 3:45 pace is because I didn't see the 5k marker, I take a gu
9-10k (1.98k per watch)	7:16 (36:37)	3:38	up a short hill, down a short hill, turn a corner and I think I can see Mercy for the first time, her lead is shortening, with a pack of 4 (three guys and me) we chase her pack down, feeling better than in the 5-8k stretch
11-12k (1.98k per watch)	7:14 (43:51)	3:37	Closing the gap, just 10m behing Mercy at the 12k marker
13k (1.05k per watch)	3:47		I catch Mercy at 12.5 and she wakes up and pulls a hard surge.  I keep with her for 100m or so, but she is cranking and by 13k has opened up a good 10-15 sec lead, my watch says 3:37 pace (perhaps marked long?)
14-15k (1.97k per watch)	7:23 (55:01.96)	3:42	There is a slight incline, I am working with the guys to keep Mercy close, but not in striking distance (she is probably 20 seconds ahead), I am feeling like I can keep sub 6:00 til 15k then walk it in (perhaps not that bad but am afraid of a slow down), this is where I should have caught up to her again and tried again, but wasn't brave enough, I knew she would likely just pull a big surge and I would already be worn out with surging to get her
16k (1.03 per watch)	3:56		Slight but persistent uphill as we work our way to the only 180 turn around.  Mercy maybe gains 5 seconds on me in this k.
17k (1.03 per watch)	3:51		I think the turn around is in this k, she is 30 seconds or so ahead, I think there is only a chance to catch her if she slows, and mentally I switch a bit to trying for an awesome race time, I figure I could break 1:18:45 and perhaps even 1:18, it is getting hotter, I can see for almost a k behind me because of the 180 and there are no other ladies
18k (.97 per watch)	3:42		regaining a bit of speed as there is some downhill, have a water stop and try to take water and pour water on myself (also pour gatorade on self then am wiping it away when they take pics)
19-20k (2:11 per watch)	7:31	3:45	some slight downhill, then a long, long underpass, ending with an uphill out of the underpass about 200m before the 20k mark.
1.11 to the end	3:45	3:22	At the 20k mark I tell myself to dig deep for one fast k.  I didn't know my cumulative time, but told myself I could get under 1:18 if I shaved off some seconds.  Last part of the race is flat and 600m straight, then turn the corner and then there is the longest 500m finish ever.  There is a blue arch that took forever to get through, and once I did there was still another 40-50m to the finish. 1:17:50!!!
21.29 per watch

 So a 1:54 min PR three weeks after a one minute PR at UNICEF.  This race was a dream come true, quite literally. The night before UNICEF I had a dream that I got second place to Shalene Flanagan in that race and got a 1:17.  Mercy is not quite Shalene, but I got my 1:17.  I never dreamed I could run a half this fast.  It is absolutely amazing.  I am still shocked, really.   

During the race it felt like a 10k, after the race it felt like a marathon.  Nagging niggles are inflamed, loss of appetite, etc.  I got food, did a cool down then ran back to about 700m from finish and cheered on the 1/2 marathoners and saw the Kenyan marathoners come in. This race recruits high end athletes, several with sub 2:10 marathons, a few women who are sub 2:25 marathoners.  It was fun to cheer them on.

Mercy ended up 31 seconds ahead of me this race, exactly the same spread as the 10k last week.  I wish I had been brave enough to challenge her another time in the race.  There is always something more that could have been done in a race, eh? 

Marathon training starts next week :D Bring it on!