Even though I could have slept in a little because of the 8AM start to the race I still woke up before 5AM. To top it off I have had allergies/cold since Wednesday and a few sleepless nights from coughing. So I was not feeling the best before the start.
Josh drove me to the finish that is were we took a bus to the start. Now in Utah that would mean fast, but this course was anything but fast. It was hilly, misty, and mid-60s at the start. The idea is that we run from the Vulcan statue to the Lady Liberty.
I really wasn't sure what to expect. You can tell by my jacked up heart rate that something wasn't fully firing. My plan was to maintain the pace I had at the 10-miler back in February. That would have put me at 6:37 pace. This is a shorter but tougher course. However, my slightly better training this last month had me hopeful and I really wanted sub-6:30 pace.
I did a 2-mile warm-up with some good surges and then was ready to move. I managed to fight for 7th the entire race. With one person passing me, me passing another, and then a third guy going back and forth with me twice but I had the final downhill mile (and youth) on my side. There were kegs at the finish and a jump house for the girls who surprised me by showing up at the finish. So we hung out for about an hour before heading home. Overall it was a good start to the weekend after a tough week. It was a record attendance for the race with their first year over 600 entrants.
Josh, thanks for driving and sticking around for the rewards.
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