"Here's Your Sign"

I've taken "nothing new on race day" to a new level for my first pacing experience.  I usually don't pay much attention to that saying, figuring that if something new causes a difficulty, I'll just muddle through it.  I'm not racing for prize money anything, just doing it for myself, so there's not much at stake.  I don't think I've ever before run the entirety of a race course except when I ran it in the event.  I didn't even do that when I considered myself a serious bike racer.  But with pacing, other people I don't want to let down are counting on me, so I'm over-preparing.  I've run this course enough times that "I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway".  Well, not Broadway, but Forest, Grand, MLK Parkway, Capitol, etc., and even Dey.

I've thought a lot about how it may or may not be different running the entire race holding a sign.  I've considered making my own sign to carry on my practice runs, but came up with another solution that prevented me getting any more strange looks than I normally get.  Last night and my prior practice run on the course,  I simulated carrying a sign by carrying a quart-sized water bottle the whole way.  I thought it might be too heavy, but then figured my sign may feel heavier if there's a wind whipping it around.  It took a few adjustments to get comfortable with it, but soon I almost forgot about it.  I don't think the sign will be a big deal at all.

Something else changed that may be a big deal and I'm more than a little concerned about.   I had my pacing down, nailing 3 hours again Monday evening.  I had to walk a little more in the last mile than I had planned so I didn't finish too early, but I finished right on 3 hours. Then yesterday I got an email that they changed the course.  Yikes!   The 11th mile of the race was originally contained a gradual climb of 9 blocks.  Now the climb is 11 blocks and significantly steeper.  I think it's going to be tougher than "Bulldog Hill" the one that they are making a big deal about with pacers and prizes specifically for that hill.  So the last 3 miles will be leaving Gray's Lake, having a short downhill followed by 11 or 12 blocks of up hill, some if it fairly steep, then a steep downhill for a block, then directly into climbing Bulldog Hill, then down and up two more hills before reaching the Drake campus where it levels out somewhat for the last mile.  Even without the prior 10 miles, miles 11 and 12 would be tough.  For those people with me, most of whom I'm guessing will have never run a half Marathon before, that 2 mile stretch will be BRUTAL.  Take a look at the elevation profile at the bottom of this map.

Leaving Gray's Lake, I'm going to need to be 1:30 to 2 minutes ahead of schedule so I can walk a good portion of the the uphills in miles 11 and 12.  I don't have time to run the whole course between now and Sunday morning, so instead of going in with the confidence I had before, I'll be concerned about getting my group to the line in 3 hours.  I know I can do it myself, but I'm worried about being able to manage the exertion level the right way so that those for whom 3 hours will be a PR can do it too.

One other thing I found that I have to change for Sunday is my start.  When I ran it Monday, my split for the first mile was 12:24, which is 1:20 faster than what my average needs to be.  If I do that on Sunday, I'll immediately lose anyone running at a steady 3 hour pace, or they'll blow up trying to hang with me.  It will be better to let them get ahead of me while runners sort themselves out and then gradually catch up with them.  I'm going to walk at least the first 200 yards, holding my arm as high as I can, saying to all the 3 hour runners, "Here's your sign!"