In the early summer our track club usually has a time trial
basically for giggles (and to get the people that don’t race often a
benchmark). We race it in our normal
training groups but this week about 50% our group decided to skip it making our
race a little thin, especially at the front.
It was also very hot and humid out (80 degrees with 70%
humidity) with a strong headwind down the home stretch. I was hoping to run around 10:30 based on my
current races but I knew it would be tough with the conditions and with how I’ve
been feeling lately. My 2 mile warm-up reminded me how brutal NE summers are.
We start and I go out with one of the runners who is a
little faster than me and some kid who I mistook for someone a lot faster. After about 2 laps I pass the kid and try to
stay with the faster guy who has about 5 seconds on me. I hit the mile at 5:32, right on my goal
pace. At about this time I get passed by
another fast guy while goes by me like I’m walking (he ends up winning). I try to hold strong the last 3 laps but slow
to finish in 10:46. It was pretty
obvious that the heat pretty much got the better of most of us and every race
can’t be great especially in the setting. Probably a good kick in the ass to keep me
from slacking
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