I made the 5 hr drive to Birmingham last night. Got in later than was ideal, but the family wasn't coming and I wanted to be around to hang out with the kids before bed. Worth it.
The weather was nice until it started raining. 48F at the start with practically no wind. The first 5k is a net uphill with rolling hills, and the second half drops about 60 ft before rolling along to the finish. No huge hills. A gentle 50 ft climb in mile 3 with the gentle drop behind it in mile 4. Rolling hills are perfect for me. Net drop of about 20 ft between start and finish.
Splits off my watch were 5:11, 5:16, 5:12, 5:04, 5:08, 5:11. ~5:00 to the finish. I followed a nice pack through 5k, taking over the lead in the 3rd mile and pulling away in the final 2. The clouds opened up at 2.5 miles and poured the rest of the way. Floated the downhill. Last 2 miles were mostly flat and I pushed hard from there to the finish. The 6th mile was better than it looked as there was a sharp 270 degree turn followed immediately by a 90 degree turn that zapped all momentum.
This is my fastest 10k since 2012. I'll take that. I felt very, very strong all the way to the finish, and I feel like my base fitness is in a good spot. I had the sensation of feeling like there was more aerobic ability to tap but no speed in the legs to grab it. I think there are good things to come this spring.
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