Today I ran the Blacksmith Fork Freedom Run in Hyrum. I was hoping to be 47:59 or faster, but I just didn't have it in me today. I learned a few things, so it was still a good race. I need to get better sleep the 2 nights before. I didn't take a water at mile 4, and the one I took at mile 7 splashed out when I grabbed it, so that was another thing I could've fixed. It was pretty warm, in the 60s or 70s at the start, so not ideal but still good. I didn't feel the regular tail wind you get coming out of that canyon, and it was hot, so I think if I had the great conditions I had last year, I may have been able to break 48. The first mile didn't feel too good. I didn't feel like I had everything there. It just didn't feel like a race. I was running alone, but I could see Jon Coyle (who ran for Weber and was a very accomplished steeplechase runner. He also beat me in Smithfield half last year and this same run 2 years ago where he bandit the race) behind me, but I had a good ways on him. The next few miles just felt slow. I haven't ran a race over a 5k for almost a year and I think that may have effected me. After the fourth mile I looked back and saw I still had a good ways on Coyle. At mile 5 I thought I was speeding up a lot, but when I looked back, Coyle had gotten a lot closer. After a little ways I looked back again, and he was only a small ways back, and then he passed me. I ran with him for a little bit, but he was just going too fast, so I let him go. He had probably 10 to 15 seconds on me when he hit the hill. I pushed the hill and it actually felt pretty refreshing. I almost caught up to him at the top, but then when it became flat I think I slowed down. He gained a lot of time on me on mile 8. I calculated it out that if I ran 5 min. mile pace for my last 1.3 I would break 48. I pushed it a lot more when I found this out. I pushed it a lot and started catching him. With a half mile to go I was in a good position to get first. With .4 to go he threw in a kick, and I just dropped off pace. I should've sprinted here, but I just thought the race was over and I couldn't get a better time. I know I slowed down here though, and that cost me a few seconds. If I would've pushed the last .3 more I think I may have been able to break 48. After I talked to Jon, and he said that he was taking it as a workout, and during the last half mile he heard me, and he got competitive and really pushed it. He was 48:02, and I was 48:10.
Mile splits: (possibly slow because my IPod had me about 9 seconds slow again. I think it's just my IPod's timer) 4:48.9, 5:06.6, 5:12.3, 5:11.6, 5:02.6, 10:23.5 for two miles, 5:34.9, 5:06, 1:41.4 for the final .3
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