Going in I thought I would do well as I'm in top shape coming off of my peak race at the Richmond half less than two weeks ago. Having recovered from that and having put in a fast 400 workout, I figured I could flirt with 5:00 pace for the 5 miles. Got pretty close!
It was cold, about 30 with a wind chill of 23 so I had to wear winter racing gear. It was fine though and it didn't bother me. The only part was when I lost my pack at mile 4 which was into the wind in uphill.
I was excited when I went out slightly sub ten for the first two miles with little effort. The leaders were already gone by that point but I could tell I was much closer to them than in recent years. Mile three was fine but it got a little hairy at mile 4 when I was getting pretty tired. The D1 dudes, GRC guys, former D1 guys, and the lone Ethiopian made it a challenge but I hung in there albeit off of my (knowlingly crazy) goal of 5 flats. Here are my splits from my GPS:
5:01,4:56,5:01,5:12,4:56 - too bad that 5:12 couldn't have been a 5:01! But hey, when you basically go out at 15:30 for the first 5K, things will happen!
One more little race before my semi-annual break/recovery then the base work begins for next spring. This race is a great race, one of my favorites.
Results
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