The short of it - I planned on taking it to the old lady Saturday - Showing no mercy. Although I won the war - Grandma showed little mercy herself.

I felt I was in 2:47 shape on an ideal day - At least 2:50 shape. I ran a 2:50:00 which I was happy with considering the weather.

Got to town @ 1:00pm Friday - Kindof dinked around the whole day. I saw Hal Higdon spew strings of somewhat unrelated and marginally interesting stuff for 25 minutes. Listened to Doug Curtis and Jenny Spangler - THey were decent - and I was about to leave when Tuffonfeet (CR) gave me a call out and we chatted about 10 minutes. Then I went to Pirates of the Carribean. Next ... to the old mattress in the back of the Truck (Explorer) in the DECCA parking garage.

Sleep was not good - but that is normal. 4:30 up - eat 3 packs of oatmeal. I turned on the truck and the temp gage read 72F - Dang its gonna be a warm one! - changed into the racing flats and running clothes - I caught the 1st group of buses @ 5:30.

At the start I ran into mike55760 (CR) a couple of times - I have MTP on the back of my race shirt - help people recognize "Mikey The Pig"

I got into the chute @ 20 mintes before the start and chatted briefly with Obsessor (CR) - he was loose and confident (Ran a 2:30) I did not see PacerChris this year. I warmed up on course - peed one last time and got to my spot - I was @ 2:30 sign - althought there were 300+ people ahead of me and I was really shooting for a 2:47-2:50.

I planned on relaxed pace 1st 5 miles and then see how I felt - With the heat and me being a heavy sweater it was not the best of conditions - Maybe the little breeze there was would switch from the southwest and go east off the lake. Never happened.

The gun goes off and I am always amazed at how many people are lined up in front of me (2:30 sign) that are running @ 8:00 pace?? But it settles out in the 1st 1/2 mile. I see a pack of young women with nice legs and butts form for their run at a 2:46:59 (OTQ) - I settle in behind them for the 1st 10K - 39:29 - 6:22 pace
1st 10 - 1:03:30 - 6:21 pace

Although I tried to focus on good line to run, I was very unfocused the 1st 10 miles - I looked around alot - I noticed most of the spectators - talked to a few runners.

At mile 10 I realized that I was already leaving sweat footprints and I was over heating - Also Grandmas does not have any nasty hills, but rolls a lot and the uphill rollers didn't feel as easy as they should. Here I decided that I needed to back off slightly and not look at my watch anymore - just go with the pace that felt as fast as I could run and still finish.

The next 5K to the 1/2 marathon point was 20.4 or 6:34 pace. Total 1/2 time 1:23:53

As I approach Mile 16 - I remember last year when I drove myself into the ground in the heat the 1st 10 miles and decided to quit instead of shuffling in. Here I throw my MTP race shirt away and keep running the fastest pace I feel I comfortably can.

Mile 17 they give out gels - I grabbed an apple and put it in the pocket and grabbed a second - not sure what and ate it. Uuuuuuuugghhhhh - It was coffee - I hate coffee - I only got 1 cup of water to try and rinse that icky taste out. It would stick with me until next water stop #19. The good thing - I started to lazer focus on breathing / running form / running good lines and ignore the icky taste and anything else in the world.

Mile 20 - I have not payed any attention to time since 1/2 way mark - I hit it in 2:09:29 (6:28.5 pace) I have run the last 6.9 mile in @ 6:36 pace. Hey wait a minute if I run a 40:30 - I will be sub 2:50 thats uhhh ... uhhhh .... lets see 6:27 is 40:00 ... uhhhh ... uhhhh I don't know - It must be 6:30 or 6:31 pace. Lets pick it up a little.

Here on out I am definately "Faking it" - Meaning I am running tall - focussed on form and trying to look really strong for the spectators and the other runners. Hey - it works for me.

I am amazed a how many runners I pass in the last 6.2. I finally hit mile 25 - I have not run myself into the ground, but run respectibly hard. It reads @ 2:42:30 ish and I think ... If I only run .... Uhhh .... uhhhh ... lets see 6 pace would be 7:20 - ohhh - what ever - I still have a chance at least with chip timing to break 2:50 - I pick it up a little - again Its not worth destroying myself - just give it a good effort. I focuss on passing runners - about 10 in the next mile. I hit mile 26 and it reads 2:48:52 - No way I am going to kill myself for this 2:49:59 - but wait I have 8 seconds between gun / chip - maybe??

There are a lot of corners in the last .2 and I for some reason have a hard time on 2 figuring out which way I should turn and take them kindof wide. Now I hit home stretch and I can see the clock - I pick it up to as fast as I have without straining or tensing and - Dang - Did I get a chip of 2:49:58-9, 2:50:00 or :01 -

THey hand me a bag of ice - I eat as much as I can stand - drink as much as I can stand and keep the bag of ice on my head. 45 minutes after finishing I am on the road back to Neenah WI - Saturday is family fun night.

I show up for my Sunday morning group run and my friend Norb congrats me - 2:50 on the head - Now I know a 40:31 last 10K a hare over 6:31 pace. We go on to have a good easy 10 miler.

I would guess this may be my last Grandmas - There are too many good marathons closer to home.

So maybe the old lady won the war and I just won the battle of the day.

Thanks for reading