Blacksmith Fork / Hyrum Freedom Run 15K Thas has been one of my favorite Cache Valley Races and I have looked forward to it this year. I struggled this week to recover from the Logan Peak Trail Race, but figured a PR was a sure bet. Paul and I got to the starting line early enough to beat the other 500+ runners to the chip pickup line. That line soon grew to 10x's the length of the port-o-pot line. Needless to say, the 30 min delay to the start of the race was mildly irritating. The plan during the race was to stay close to 18 min 5K splits and see how I felt. I started off in 8th place and tried to stay with Joe. That task soon became too much and he pulled away to a great race. I settled into my own pace and tried to keep the legs turning over. Mile 1: 5:43 Mile 2: 5:50 Mile 3: 5:52 (5K ~18 min) So far, things are right on track and exactly the same as my PR race (2007). Lets try and pick it up and see if I can squeeze a few more seconds per mile out of these tired legs. Mile 4: 5:50 Mile 5: 5:39 (I was able to use the downhill here to pick it up) Mile 6: 5:50 (2nd 5K ~18 min) I have made up 1 second over the 2007 race. In spite of the lack of sweet tailwind that we seem to always experience on this course. In fact, it was warm and humid and I was drenched in sweat. Mile 7: 6:07 First half of hill. Took a water and dumped it on my head. I was passed in mile 5 and I was working on closing the gap the guy got on me. I also worked past a Bear River High school kid on the hill. Mile 8: 6:10 Felt strong on the hill, but legs are not happy. Mile 9: 5:40 Good downhill into Hyrum. Finish: 1:40 (5:18 pace) Kicked, but couldn't get past the 7th place guy. Watch read 54:21, Clock read something else, and the official results show 54:58. I am going by my watch for the 9 second PR. Not great, but without the wind and with the higher temps, I will take it. I realize that the legs are strong, but are lacking in speed. I need to keep working on that. I was stuck in 5:50 gear and couldn't push past it. I enjoyed a stiff legged cooldown with Joe and Paul (who creamed the field and won by a landslide). Congrats to both of them as they ran great. It was fun to see Paul's mug in the paper today (Sunday). We bummed a ride back up the canyon from Scott (thanks a ton) and then spent most of the day digging trenches in my yard for sprinklers. I was able to finally relax in the afternoon and spend the evening enjoying a nice BBQ with friends. Quite the holiday!
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