It is finished. I have mixed feelings about this race. It was very cold today but breezy rather than windy--which was nice--no nasty headwind to fight. I jogged around for 20 minutes before the race mostly just trying to get, and stay, warm. I don't know the exact temperature but it was below freezing. Anyways we all lined up, but the start was delayed for 5 minutes, so I was getting pretty cold again. My first error was in not lining myself up more toward the front. There was about 600 to 700 people in this race. When the gun went off, it took a few seconds for my part of the crowd to surge, and then it was just packed and I was having a hard time accelerating to the pace I wanted to run because of the crowd. I spent the first 3/4 of mile(estimate) zigging, zagging, ducking, and dodging. I passed at least several hundred people. Then the course turned off the road and onto a bike path. I passed a few more people on the bike path and then settled in by myself between two packs. There was no mile marker or splits called so I don't know how fast the first mile was. Anyways I could feel myself fading a bit so I focused my thoughts on good form and leg turnover--this has always been a good trick to help myself fight a waning pace. I caught up to the pack in front of me and eeeked by. Towards the end one man from that pack passed me but other than that I did not get passed. Then I could hear the crowd at the finish line and it was over. Just like that. The negative: I think I could have pushed a bit harder for several reasons. First, I never entered the "puke zone". I should have entered it toward the end if I was pushing as hard as I could. This makes me think I would have "puke zoned" it and maybe squeaked through another mile at that pace. Second, I felt really good afterward. Too good. I came home and did a sort of guilty 4 mile recovery run in 34:54. I have way too much left over. The positive: I won first in my age division(I think all the elite speedsters where over in the 10-mile race). Lastly, I think that sub-7 minute miles are within reaching distance now. I can't wait to grab 'em! Next race, if I can find someone to watch the kids for a few hours, will be the 4-mile in the jingle bell run in two weeks. This may be a bit ambitious of a goal but I would like to finish it in about 30 minutes. | 