First of all, pleased to have pr'd on a very challenging course. My time was 4 minutes faster than last year's for this particular race. The first half was downhill and, 4.5 of the miles being run on trail surfaces. The second half was almost entirely uphill- all trail into the final 1/2 mile. I felt good actually picking off runners over the final 3 miles- this is rare for me- I usually start fast and get passed at the end. Here's a more detailed report...
Mile 1: 6:29 (partly flat w/slight downhill)
Mile 2: 6:32 (mostly downhill- being careful not to go too fast)
Mile 3: 6:35 (flat, w/slight downhill portion- now I'm running trails)
Mile 4: 6:43 (slight drop, stopped to drink water, very comfortable pace)
Mile 5: 6:37 (mostly flat, very comfortable pace)
Mile 6: 6:51 (flat, stopped for water, lost a little focus, so stepped it up a tad)
Mile 7: 6:33 (Partial drop, and then the beginning of an ascent)
Mile 8: 6:42 (Slight uphill, definitely working a little harder)
Mile 9: 6:58 (Gradual incline...passed by 2 runners)
Mile 10: 7:03 (Continued incline...now I begin to pass runners)
Mile 11: 7:07 (Getting steep, keep picking off runners, including one of the guys who had passed me)
Mile 12: 7:17 (Steep incline, passed a couple guys, stayed focussed)
Mile 13: 6:58 (Steep incline for 1/2 mile, back on road and continued incline for 1/4 mile, and then a steep decline for 1/4 mile before turning corner for the finish)
Last .1: 41 seconds (6:05 pace- sprinted uphill for the final stretch...felt great!)
Ended up 13th out of 295 runners and 3rd in my age group. Very satisfied with my run and hope to carry it over to the marathon in 2 weeks. | 