So it wasn't the best time ever by any means, but for today it was good enough. I got to the start and jogged a bit to loosen up. They didn't start on time which is slightly annoying, but no big deal. They were only off by 5 minutes or so. Anyway it was super windy, so the first 6 miles were slow, but I was kind of okay with that. I wanted to go out more controlled then I have in the past. As a whole I played this race much smarter then the past couple: i.e. I actually ate some breakfast before the race so I had some energy, I drafted when it was slow instead of blazing my own trail and I went out controlled at the gun. It helped that the wind was there, otherwise I'm sure others would have gone out quicker and I most likely would have followed. With the wind as it was, I drafted behind Clyde Behunin for the first 2 miles in 2nd place, then I passed and blocked the wind from 2 to 4. Sucked for him because my skinny body doesn't do much blocking.... He and I traded off and on, sharing the load and leading the way until mile 10. At this point, knowing that a P.R. was out of reach, I decided to see how quickly I could do a 5K after having run 10 miles. I was at 58:14 at the 10 mile mark, so I pushed it for 3 miles to see what I could do. My finishing time was 1:14:59, so the final 5K was done in 16:45. My last 3 miles splits were: 5:25, 5:47 (the hill past the bridge), 5:15. It's not the easiest 3 miles, so I was pleased with my efforts, especially the last mile. All in all, I am happy with the quick finish, but would have liked a better time overall. Having said that, it's nice to feel good after a race (my body feels great, the best it's ever felt after a half marathon) and a win is always enjoyable. I can't wait until next year. Oh yeah, and on top of winning, I got $50 bucks and a free pair of Asics running shoes. Not too bad..... Speedstar (legs handled the lighter shoes/hilly course/pavement just fine).
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