Alright, today was the PreNats 8k in Terra Haute. Coach decided to throw me into the open race, so he could pull me out in case I should have an issue similar to the last few races. Everything went good, though. The first kilometer went out ridulously fast, and I just sat back. I was in 80th at best and went through in 2:47. Seeing this, I just backed off for the next kilometer and played things smart. I knew there would be some serious dying the last 3k after such a suicidal first mile or two. Between 2k and 5k, I began passing people that were already dying (ouch that's going to be a painful last three miles!) At 5k, I was still a ways back, but sped up a bit and began to really pass some people. I was honestly passing groups of six or seven at a time. I just cruised until the finish, and outkicked a Stanford runner at the end. Over the final 2k I ran completely alone, with the exception of one runner trying to hold on for dear life just behind me. When I began kicking, I felt really good and realized I had a lot left in the tank. I should have starting rolling a bit earlier, but this was a good lesson in patience. I am usually the runner that barrels out and dies, so today was a good mental workout. Overall, this was a decent race. The time is nothing great, but I ran smart. Most importantly, I didn't have any "bonking" problem this race. I felt like I could have run faster (had there been some people around me during the last mile or two), but I am ok with the outcome. I think that I will be ready to run really fast at conference in two weeks. | 