Awesome race! Today was Pre-Nationals in Terra Haute, Indiana. I did not really feel too nervous until I saw the amount of insane runners toeing the start line. This is a really nice course, about 700' elevation, rolling hills and grassy. After running the Buff Ranch a couple of times this felt like quite the experience. Anyways, we warmed up, stretched and prepared for the race ahead. It was really good conditions (about 65 degrees and overcast). We did our pre-race strides then put on jerseys at headed to the starting line. Again, the pack mentality helped me out tremendously. It feels like you are not alone; everyone is feeding off each others anxiety just waiting for the gun to go off. The gunman took incredibly long to fire the gun (I swear it was around 15 seconds of silence before he did). I was really going to go out slow and pick it up as the race progressed. The first mile was insane; runners were hitting 4:30's and destroying themselves just to make it through 2k with a fast time. I think they forget the race is 8k, not 2k. I was in about 40th place at 2k, and around 20-25th at 5k (15:38). From there on, it was all about how many people I could catch. I managed to get another 10-15 runners in the last 3k, and outkicked a runner with 100 meters to go. I was really amazed that I ran this fast, mainly because it did not feel that terribly hard. I only began to hurt after the 5k mark, but even then, the pain was manageable. I am happy with the race and am excited to see what will come next. I finished in ninth overall for our team, but one runner (typically in the top seven) was sick. Well see if I can eek my way to regionals! | 