I wanted to give myself the chance to run well, so I cut back this week. I was lower than I planned, due to some achilles issues. But, my focus was rest and recovery before taking the mileage and intensity up again. I really needed a confidence booster. I warmed up two miles plus strides. I saw Tee, Jenny, and Merilee at the start. I knew I was going to have to work for it, today. But, I also knew fast competition leads to fast times. I got out in the lead right away. I didn't want to push too hard through the first uphill mile. I hit the mile in 5:49, and felt perfectly under control. 5:37 through the downhill second mile, and 5:52 at the third mile. That third mile is really tough. I saw the clock, and knew I was going to have to work for sub 18. I hit 17:59. Whew! Positive takeaways: I ran this race with almost no track work. It was definitely a strength based race. This is the fastest I have run on this course in many years. I usually hover somewhere around 18:20-30. It's not a fast course. I felt strong the third mile. Usually I feel like I am holding on for dear life. The endurance is improving. Things to work on: Just continue with marathon training. I will probably start incorporating a little more track, though effort based fartlek work seems to be working just fine. This gave me more confidence about going for Chicago. Gotta make a plan here, shortly. 4 mile cooldown. Back to work. | 