Got to the race really early because I got a ride from hunter who was in charge of setting it up. I didn't eat a lot, but just enough so I wasn't too hungry. After like an hour and a half of just waiting around, I warmed up with the team and I was ready to go! RACE- I started out at around 5:39 pace, but it was downhill for the first 3 miles and I was really holding back so I could have energy for the whole race. We had a nice pack of PV kids and the guy from dixie state (I believe its Rodney Warr or something like that). Going into mile 3 I felt 10x better than last year and I was positive this was gonna be a good race. Through the canyon byron and I led the way and set the pace and I think we were doing well. I picked up the pace for us around the bridge just out of the canyon and I think it was just Rodney, Mike and I in 3-5 places. This was the time I really knew I had to push it if I was to keep up with them. So, as we hit the first hill on the dam road and so I picked up our pace to around 5:39 (like it was in the canyon) but I think by the end we were averaging around high 5:40's or a little lower. I kept up on the downhill of the dam road until we hit the main road by the double churches and I was still with them! I was so calm mentally and physically I felt like I could run that pace forever! We hit the hill by hunter's house and I was pushing to keep up with mike. Rodney started to fall a couple feet back on the downhill, because mike and I were hauling but he kept up. I really thought in my head hey I could maybe beat mike! As we hit majestic hill (the worst hill at mile 10) Mike just took off and Rodney was just ahead of me about 15 feet ahead of me. The last two miles I was just pushing to catch Rodney, because I wanted to at least be the next place behind mike. I was going about 5:50 pace. I caught him with about 1.1 mile to go by amping up my pace a little around 5:30 pace. I paced him and I knew I had broken him or something, because I gained so much on him. He was great to run with though because he was so positive. I finished with coach pushing me to kick like I would at the end of the 1600 and I felt like I was flying!! I finished 4th overall and 1st in my age group, because they didn't count mike. Overall- SO awesome!! This proves to me that this track season is gonna be awesome! I think if I had stuck it in on that hill at mile 10 I would've finished with mike, but really that was my only moment I felt like I backed off mentally and that's pretty great for 13 miles of hard running!! Some said it wasn't short, but I don't think it was too short of 13.1...maybe 13 because I think some of the GPS watches get a little jacked in the canyon, so maybe 13 miles I would say. Finishing only about a minute behind mike is really good for a half marathon and my team took around 5 of the top 10! I won a medal and some money to the running center! That's always nice! | 