Striders 10 Miler. I knew that this would be a very different race than the 10k, and it was. The first big difference was the field. Adam RW and Walter both joined us, along with a guy Mike [I forgot the last name already]. They all beat me. The other big difference was the solid race that Jon Allen ran today. He ran smart and strong.
Heather has my watch with all my splits on it, so I can't give the full split report right now, but I remember a few. We went out at 6 min pace for the first mile, but Mike was already out front. I won't say anything else about him because I didn't see him much after that. He finished in 58 minutes. Adam was holding second, then Walter, then a pack of Jon, Cody, Ben and me. Pace was esssentially conversational. Everyone knew from the 10k experience that the first 2 miles were not the place to try and shine. Second mile was 5:21. That's fairly quick, but it has a steep downhill. I think it was 5:12 at the 10k for me. Nothing eventful through the 4.5 mile mark as everyone held their places more or less. We hit the first big hill at 4.5. I thought I might make up some ground on the leaders, but didn't. Plus Jon stayed with me stride for stride. Time on the hill was 6:34 (compared with 6:29 in the 10k). The next big hill begins just after mile 6. It's a relentless climb, essentially a full mile. I was 7:11, I believe. On that hill, the race really started to take shape. Walter, Adam, Jon and I were within 20m or so. Jon started to pull away. I kept my pace but wasn't able to pick it up to follow. Jon passed Walter, and then passed Adam. He threw down a 5:02 for mile 8. I ran 5:21--not enough to make any ground. Around mile 9, I had Walter in sight and thought I could grab a ride to the finish, but he kept enough distance on me. Mile 9 was 5:40. Mile 10, which has a big climb, was 5:55.
So, I was 5th today. But I had a really enjoyable race, had smile on my face for some reason most of the race. I think it was just the enjoyment of being away from the office and doing something completely different. I ran hard today, but I can run harder. | 