Pioneer Day Classic 10k in Provo. I would have loved to run Des News 10k, but the last time I did in 2008 it took me about 2 weeks for my legs to fully recover, so it was more conservative to pass. Strategy was not to run even splits (strategy of last three 10ks) but to practice surging and running the red line. This race starts at Timpview HS and goes uphill on Foothill, then downhill by the temple and back to the HS. To start the race, there was a pack of three or four guys, and then four ladies, me being one. Lisa Antenelli-Pratt was another of the ladies (yellow shirt from last race, who passed me in the fourth mile). Of our lady pack, a girl pulled out fast to lead, then I lead, then Lisa took the lead, all within the first mile. At the mile 1 marker, we are climbing the hill they dub goliath because it's like a stair climber, and Lisa leads with me perhaps 3-10 seconds back. The guys are far ahead and I never see them again. I don't want to push too hard on this uphill because it's so early in the race. As we crest, I surge and cut her lead in half. As we go down a second downhill I surge again and pass her. Great. Now I am the rabbit to be hunted down. And no one ahead of me in sight. So as we go through neighborhoods, I try to keep surging to hold her off (I assume she's right behind me). As I go down temple hill I surge to try to hold her off (at the bottom of this hill there's the 4 mile mark, then I am beyond where she got me last year). As I am in the fifth mile, I am tired but do pathetic surges, hoping she's surging at the same time as me and getting discouraged because the distance isn't closing. I then know I am 1.2 away from the end and haven't had a mile above 6:00 yet (well, in the last four miles, the first two uphill don't count in my mind), so I try to keep under that pace, throwing in less than impressive surges. There's no 6 mile mark, my watch catches it at 6:04, so wheels wobbling but not totally falling apart. I kick it in for the win. It turns out Lisa wasn't registered (I am 95% sure that was her), and the next PERSON, male or female, behind me is 1:30 or so behind. I pass the line at 36:23, and I immediately suspect the clock or the course. Mike Vick confirms the clock is right. I ask the race directer if the course is certified, he said no, I ask if it's accurate, he says yes. Well I did the course tool twice and the course is 6.0 not 6.2, so yet another short 10k course. Way lame. So that projects me to about what I've done my last 10ks in. Not bad for the hilly course and no one around me. I won $100, a very nice watch, and a $50 gc to a sports store, tres cool. Cooled down 6 miles.
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