Today was the Des News 10k. I was excited. I had put together a Fast Running Blog team for the high school division. The team was composed of Hayden Hawks, Neal Ferrin, and Nate Jewkes. (I was on the team as well) We were excited and wanted to beat the Utah team, and try to beat the US team. I had two personal goals: break 31:00 (which I thought would be a stretch), and beat some guys who already have spots on the BYU team. I went with Neal, and we got there about 5:20. We warmed up about 1.5 miles and did some stretching. Our team then met together and went to the start. I also met Michelle at the starting line. (I think it was Michelle) The race started and I was in the pack near the front. It was mostly high school age and some older guys. I knew it was going to be fast. My first mile was 4:39. That was faster than I wanted, and than I expected. I knew I was going too fast, so I backed off a little bit. The next mile I was running mainly with Karl, and I passed him near the end of it. But it was still fast. It was a 4:47. That beat my best two mile time by ten seconds! I was just hoping to keep going. The next mile was a 5:09. This was where it was getting harder, and I was starting to regret the fast start. My three mile time was 14:36. That is also a 5k pr. I guess about 15:10 for the 5k. For the fourth mile, I ran a 5:18. On this mile, one of the US all-star guys passed me. I tried sticking with him, but I didn't for too long. I was hurting more this mile. The fifth mile is where I really started suffered for going out so fast. This is also where the course flattened out more. I ran a 5:32. At this point, I was just trying to hang on. The sixth mile was really hard. I was really trying to keep the pace faster, but I didn't have much left. It was a 5:43. At this time, I was thinking how much I wished I had gone out slower. I didn't have much left for the finish, and it seemed like it took forever to get there. Hayden caught me with about 150-200 meters left, and I tried to stay with him, but he beat me by a second or two. Overall, it was a pretty good race, and a good learning experience. I wanted to do better, but I am satisfied. I learned how not to race a 10k, and it will help me in the future. I haven't raced a 10k in a couple of years, so I guess I forgot how long it was. So far, I'm not too sore, but my right hip hurts and I have some blisters on my feet. I cooled down with Hayden and a bunch of other high school guys, and it hurt. Our team also beat the Utah team, so that was pretty cool. I didn't break 31:00, but I did beat Trevor Sharp and George Barlow, who both have spots at BYU. | 