First of all, It was awesome just to get to race again. It was so much fun. We did a good 15 minute warmup, but it was a little early for my heat. I was in the 7th heat, most of the guys were around 5:12. I got a great start and settled into 3rd on the first curve. From this point on until the start of the last lap, I tried to keep the same pace. I zoned out, which is a really bad habit I need to break during races. Russell passed me with a lap to go, and I couldn't let him beat me. I started my all out sprint about 2/3 of the way through the final curve. Once i hit the straightaway, the clock was 4:46! I though I could break 5 but I forgot that the straighaways were 140 m insteadof 100. Well, I did close in 15 seconds for 140 meters, so my final sprint was good. I beat russell by 4 seconds, I think. I was a little mad at myself because if I had paced it right, I could have broken 5 pretty solidly. My original goal was to beat Craik, who got 4:58 in the heat in front of me. Good 15 minute cooldown with a few guys from Westlake. We now have 7 people already in the sub-5 club already, with justin oficially doing it today and craik getting it. Josh hit 5 flat, so he'll get it next time. We could end up having 12 or so in the club, which is pretty cool.
Overall, I'm happy with this race. I haven't raced since September, and this was a good race to see where i'm at. I raced in XC mode, which is a lot different than track. With only having done 5 workouts this year, i'm happy with the time. I still have much room for improvement. Starting next week I can go to practice on A-days, so that will help. Next mile race for me will be the team time trails, and I want to break 5 there. I will have craik and josh right in front of me, so I should be able to pace off them to break 5. Excited for an awesome track season coming up!
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