Run Wild 5k

This race is pretty cool – its a course through a state park right next to my neighborhood. Starts off on a grass field, progresses through a campground gravel road, a mile or so of rolling sandy open trail then into a winding single track for the last mile. Nice crowd for this one, not sure how many. Weather was around 70 degrees, low humidity. Actually quite nice. The atmosphere was cool because the open 5k heads off a series of 4 high school cross country races (boys and girls , varsity and JV). Got there about a half hour ahead of time, drove there to avoid last year’s near miss of the start. I did a mile warmup and got back within 10 minutes of the finish.

With the gun, it was total chaos, as a very wide start group had about 100 yards to  make it into the woods/campground area, where there was a narrow bottleneck. I was able to make it up near the front, but it was crazy with all the people jammed in like that. Had no idea what my pace was – my Garmin was unreliable in the woods. Tried to stay with an age grouper that has always beaten me, though I finished ahead of him last race when he got misdirected. He was too fast today. Hitting the sandy trails was tough, it was basically a long slow incline on very soft footing. First mile was called out as 6:15, though the Garmin was coming up about .96 mile if I remember correctly. I was getting pretty gassed on the sand trail until finally we hit a nice decline. I actually got passed by an older guy and Amy, the girl from last report.  I was not happy about getting passed, but I had to defer to the air-sucking lungs at that point. Started to recover midway through mile 2, and my recover I mean not about to die anymore. Mile 2 was right at the entrance to the woods again and some pretty technical trail. They called out 13 flat just after I got there, so I guess 12:50ish for at 2 miles. Just before the woods I was able to re-pass Amy on a sandy hill. I drafted older dude most of the next half mile, when finally I decided I’d had enough and did a Adrian Petersen maneuver and passed him in the little straightaway that existed. I dont think he liked it but I did give him warning and apologized between sucking all the available oxygen in the area. Hit an open field again about 300 meters from the finish. Came up on one of the local triathletes that I’ve never come close to much less beaten. Passed him in stealth mode and we sprinted for about 50 meters but he finally gave way and I was able to hold it to the finish – 19:40. Real happy with going sub 20 again, especially with the trail course and almost 2 minutes faster than last year.  Only got 3rd in AG, but given the field I was OK with that. I’ll post the results when they come out – it wasnt chip timed and there was a 2.5 hour wait for awards! Got in 6 miles in “cool down” which was nice with the great weather.

Gave me 2 more seconds

http://sc.milesplit.us/meets/73251/results/127171

Kiwanis 5k 8/21/10
This was a race that was moved for some reason, and was competing with 2 other races in the Columbia area. I chose it because it was the official “Tour de Columbia” event for this week. Cloudy and 78 at race time, another 100 percent humidity. When I arrived, I was unsure if I was in the right place – hardly anyone was there. As race time neared, it was sad how few had shown up – I figured around 30 – official count was actually only 25. Smallest race I’ve ever done. No elites, except for one of the top female runners in our city (Amy), who has almost identical times to me. With the gun Amy took off and kept the lead most of the first mile. I was just trying to keep her within a reasonable distance. A guy blew past me in the first mile as well and ended up passing Amy near the .75 mile point.
This course was new to me, and its good that it was, or may have never shown up either. Just pure, unrelenting hills. We had a nice drop in the first half mile, but had to make most it up right away. I felt a little gassed at mile 1 already, and saw a 6:15 split, which was really too fast for this course. I paid for it dearly in the second mile – there were basically no flat areas. As soon as I would crest a leg burning incline, I would have to trash my quads on a decline and ascend another hill.  Amy was starting to slow, as well as the lead guy, but I wasnt making up much ground. Second mile split was 6:57. The hills continued in the third mile, but I started to get acclimated to the torture a little. I started closing in on the two in front of me. I could see the lead police car the whole way, which is certainly something new. Hit mile 3 just a few steps behind Amy. Kicked it in the rest of the way, passed her and painfully close to the winner. Crossed the line at 20:33. Although well off my best times, I was definitely happy with the time and result considering the conditions and course. 2nd overall, 1st in AG. Award ceremony was pretty funny – I think everyone got medals with only 25 runners. Masters female winner also finished last overall, and the third place female was a 9 year old girl.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/10KIWANIS.TXT

Silver Fox Trot 5k  8/14/10
This is a true technical trail 5k complete with ditches, a monster hill, long grass, hairpin turns and lots of single track. 142 runners, overcast skies, near 80 at race time (8 am) and about 100 percent humidity. Not very pleasant when youre sweating before the gun even goes off. Spent the first half mile dodging people and trying not to run through mud (I opted for the racing flats – I know, dumb). Total chaos until an incredible mountain of a hill thinned out the field severely. Hills are my strength, and this enabled me to pass maybe 10 people, but Garmin read low 9 pace on this monster. Luckily there was a nice flat, open section just after this which enabled me to catch my breath. Seemed like a lot of people still in front of me. Started passing people towards the end of mile 1 – I think a lot of people were unfamiliar with the course and went out too fast (I ran it last year and died in a similar fashion). Split on mile 1 about 6:45, though the Garmin was having trouble with all the woods. The slower pace seemed to work in my favor, as I actually felt better after that point. I started really throwing myself around the turns and into the ditches and creek beds. Passed several more people, a couple who were walking (injured?). I tried to sprint all the downhills and straighaways, as these were the only points to pass people or to build up any good speed. Hit mile 2 right around 7 minutes flat- thought it would be faster, but it was so hard to keep up a good pace with the turns. In mile 3 I started to die a little, the heat was definitely getting to me, but seeing others in front of me start to really slow down was motivation enough. I continued to pass several people, including who I thought was the top female. I eventually broke free and saw no one else in front of me. I knew there was a pack of high school cross country runners well ahead, but the fear of getting passed myself was able to push me to the finish. Never saw the 3rd mile split – just too focused on maintaining my position. I hadnt been passed since before the hill.  Broke out of the forest and the finish line was only about 20 feet away, crossed at 21:33. This race was held to support the local high school CC team (who also ran the race). Ended up in 11th place, 1st in age group, 3rd among non-high schoolers.  I was real happy with the effort – I knew this course added about 3 minutes to your road times and I barely broke 24 minutes last year.

http://www.dutchforkrunners.com/index.php/silverfoxtrailrun-2010/overallresults/

Born in the USA 4 mile and 4 mile relay

This is a nice size race, one of the bigger summertime events, directed by the main running store in Columbia (Strictly Running). I ran it last year as my first race over the 5k distance. I had a decent time for my fitness at the time, around 28:27 or so, and it got me interested in doing the 10k, 15k and eventually the half marathon. The distance is a little awkward, tough to gauge pace. This time around I’ve been looking to do some shorter races, mostly because I view these as my potential strength. So, I decided to do the 2 x 2 mile relay option with a friend this year.  Were at similar abilities in the 5k, so I figured we would be ambitious and shoot for 12:00 a leg (6 min flat pace). I agreed to do the 2nd leg.

I got there about 45 min early and found out there was no transport to the exchange zone, so I just did the first leg as a 2 mile warmup, actually with Mr and Mrs Sig (who were doing the coed relay). When I got to the zone there were quite a few people there, more than I remember from last year. 17 relay teams in all. They had a clock at the zone and race started at 7:30. Weather was amazing for Columbia at this time of year, high 60’s I think at race time, with a breeze. Low humidity. It was nerve wracking seeing the clock start and all of us waiting around. The police car and lead runner came by at about 10:30ish. Its amazing to me to see these guys burning low 5 pace and looking so smooth doing it. A few more passed by and 12 minutes hit without my friend (Tyler) in sight. Finally he showed up just under 13 minutes – he later said he went out too fast and died. As I tagged him and took off, I realized that I was the first to leave the exchange zone. I knew there was at least one super fast guy (low 18 5ker) at the zone, but he hadnt left yet.

I decided basically to run like a bat out of hell and see what happened. There were quite a few rolling hills in the first mile, but I had the sense I was flying because I was passing a lot of the people doing the whole 4 miles. I was breathing pretty hard by the first mile, which I saw was almost exactly 6 minutes. I was a little dissapointed, because it felt even faster. The course evened out a little after that, and I knew the rest was mostly flat with a nice downhill at the end. (the 4 miler is just a lengthened 5k course that is used by 2 other races during the year). At this point I felt a little better, having gotten a little accustomed to the crazy pace. I decided to just redline it the rest of the way. Passed a high 18 5ker who was doing the whole race and was nearing in on another when I saw the downhill finish ahead. Burned down the small hill and straightaway at an absolute sprint (Garmin shows low 4 minute pace in the final 2 tenths or so). I felt kind of pukish, but in the back of my mind I realized no one had passed me. Saw the clock and finished in 24:48, 2nd mile split in 5:50, total 2 mile leg in 11:50.

I waited around nervously for the computer results thinking surely we couldnt have won the relay. As it was, my chip time was only 10th overall among the nonrelayers . Maybe someone left the zome before me that I hadnt noticed.  After about an hour wait, after all the age groups were announced, they had the relay results. Sure enough though, we took home first overall in the relay, 50 bucks, a watermelon (!), a medal and a race patch. Pretty cool! It was also a 2 mile PR for me, my only other 2 mi race was almost a year ago at 13:07.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/10BUSA.txt

MLK 5k

I had started to post about this race this weekend but I got distracted and lost it. This was a fairly small race (122 entries), which was rescheduled from March when it conflicted with the Cooper River Bridge Run. However, it is on both the Tour de Columbia race series as well as the larger, South Carolina wide Palmetto Grand Prix. Thus, there was some serious competition showing out for race points. Race temps were hovering around 80, pretty humid but there was a bit of a breeze. This course starts off with a brutal hill about a quarter mile long, does a relatively flat loop and then plunges back down the same hill. I did a 2 mile warm up, which left me drenched in sweat even at 9:30 pace. This was my first race in 3 weeks, which is a rare dry stretch for me. The races get more spaced out here in the summer given the oven like heat of the Columbia summer. Our tourism slogan: “Famously Hot”  – I’m not kidding!

I started out at what I thought was a strong pace, probably low 6’s, but the hill just sapped my strength immediately. I’ve been doing mostly treadmill training, and I’ve been slack about using the incline, so this was a rude awakening. My garmin showed me slowing to around 7 min pace near the top and just after. I was able to pick it up a little as the course flattened a little, though there were some definite inclines before hitting the true flat section. Right away a huge gap developed between the top 9 runners and the rest of the field. Behind the “elites” was me and one other guy, a good ways back. We exchanged positions several times in the first mile, which I beleive was 6:36. I was pretty dissapointed in this, as I thought I was going faster. Unfortunately, I didnt think I could push the pace much, as I was already wilting in the heat and breathing hard. The second mile was pretty even for me, just kept at the same pace, definitely starting to hurt. The lack of big hills certainly helped. I was bummed again at my 2nd split of 6:34. At this point I knew I was going to have to really push it to have any hope of keeping my sub 20 streak alive. I picked up the pace a little, and was able to drop the other guy. It became really hard to gauge pace at this point as I was completely alone. I could see the elite pack way ahead, and I couldnt hear anyone else behind me as I approached the last half mile. I was really dying there towards the end, just sucking wind like it was going out of style. There was an incline right before the big downhill, whcih unfortunately neutralized my plan to really burn it on the decline. I just couldnt catch my breath adequately to push it. I saw the clock in the final tenth, painfully watching 19:40’s give way to 20 minutes, just no way I could get there in time. Actually took a look back to make sure other guy wasnt sneaking up on me but there was no one. Kicked what I could and finished in 20:09.  I was very happy to take first in age group and 10th overall (8th male), but couldnt help being a little dissapointed. I shouldnt expect great times in the heat and hills, but I had hoped to continue the sub 20 streak.

Good to see Mr and Mrs Sig out there!

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/10mlk.txt

See Spot Run 5k

This is a first year event with a good turnout, about 250 runners, though it was sponsored by the humane society and running with your dog was encouraged. About 80 degrees and humid at race time, just unpleasant even to walk around. Did 2 miles of warmup at 10 minute pace and was already drenched in sweat. Course is a nice one, with 2 bridge crossings. There were definitely some rough inclines, particularly one right around the 2 mile mark, where you run to the top of a nasty hill, turnaround and come back down. I knew the course from a different race last year, which was helpful. I did that race when I was still trying to break 22 minutes and in a much cooler time of year (April). I felt really fresh for this race, because I took 2 days off to try to give it my best effort. Were about to hit the legendary Columbia SC summer, and the races are few and far between for the next 2-3 months.

My plan was to go out in 6:15 and see how I felt. The first mile felt pretty good – there was actually a slight breeze and some shade. I had an age grouper (Eric) breathing down my neck the first mile – I think he was drafting and I could hear every breath. We crossed the 1st bridge right before the frist mile mark, and out into the brutal sun. The heat got rough pretty quick and the breeze seemed to die off. It was nice and flat on the bridge though, so that helped me stay on pace. Hit the first mile right on schedule, 6:13. I was able to lose Eric on the bridge, or at least I didnt feel like he was over my shoulder. The heat and no shade continued throughout the 2nd mile, and I was fighting the urge to slow down, especially with the hill-turnaround ahead. When I hit the hill I was in real fear of completely bonking. Going up a steep incline 2 miles into a 5k with full sun and 80+ temps is pretty much torture. The plus side was that I could see exactly my place in the field with the short out and back section. The first group was way ahead so I didnt pay attention to them, but it was nice to see a fairly big gap on the rest of the pack coming down the hill. I didnt look at my Garmin purposely at this point, but my split was 6:36. As I started the 2nd bridge crossing at 2.15 miles, I saw 2 people, the lead woman and a guy about 50 meters ahead. I could tell the guy was really laboring, and I was gaining on him, so I decided to put the hammer down on the flat bridge. He surged as I passed him, but he couldnt keep up the pace and dropped back. I was also gaining on the top female, but between her early kick and my bursting lungs, I just couldnt close the gap. Hit one last incline before the 3rd mile mark, which absolutely killed me. Rounded the last turn and saw 19:30, which was enough for me to give one last adrenaline push and crossed in 19:48.  I was the most winded I’ve been in a while at the finish, just pukish and sucking air so fast my lungs could hardly keep up. After about 5 minutes I joined some friends for an exceptionally slow “cooldown” by doing the course again, probably 10 minute pace. Got back just in time for awards and was totally surprised I finished 3rd overall male. I had lost track of the first “pack” which ended up being only 2 people. Very happy with the time and finish, especially considering the conditions. Won a 10 dollar gift certificate to fleet feet running store and free registration for next years race. Pretty cool!

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/10SPOT.TXT

Jailbreak 5k

This race has gotten pretty big, and usually attracts some of the top runners because of the prize money. About 350 runners. Race time was 8:30 and it was already getting hot, only mid 70’s temp wise but pretty humid. I wasnt feeling great this am – we had a party at my house which resulted in me getting to bed late and eating too much, and somehow 3 beers was enough to leave me a little dehydrated. I only ran a mile for warmup and was fearful of a total disaster of a race. I decided to lay off the first mile a little because I was hurting big time last 5k when I went out in 6:06. Lined up a couple of rows back to try to make me stick to this plan. I left my Garmin at home unintentionally, so I would be flying blind in this one.

I was not feeling it in the first mile – my usual urge to want to just stop was stronger and my legs felt pretty heavy. Luckily the first mile was almost completely flat, and it was nice there was a clock – crossed right at 6:15. A group of 3 friends that I usually beat by about 15-30 seconds seemed pretty strong at this point, and they actually all passed me in the first part of mile 2. I guess I was slowing down – the heat was getting to me and my breathing was harder than I like at this point. Csab also passed me at this point, and I could see a whole group of 20:xx runners ahead of me that were starting to build a gap. I tried not to panic, but I was fighting some pretty negative self talk at this point, and wondered if I should just pack it in. The second mile clock was around 12:50, so I definitely hemorraged some time there. On the upside my breathing had calmed down some and my legs hurt less. The rolling hills that started in the second mile continued on to the 3rd. There was a particularly nasty incline right around the 2 mile mark which actually gave me some hope, because I felt myself nearing the pack in front of me. Because I ran the race last year, I knew when the last of the major hills were done after this. As we turned on to the straightaway I decided to just redline it the rest of the way. The pack was definitely starting to fall away at this point too. Passed Csab and my 3 other friends with about a half mile to go. I saw a known 35-39er about 50 meters ahead and figured I had to get to himto have any chance of getting some hardware. He must of been hurting bad, because I gained on him quickly and passed him with less than a quarter mile to go and the finish line in clear view. Saw the clock roll over to 19:30 and was able to bust it to the finish at 19:52. I was really spent with the finishing kick but it felt great to come from behind like that. Finished in 16th place, and got 3rd in AG, so it was really fortunate I was able to catch the age grouper (Eric).  Awesome hardware – large, heavy medal. Finally some cold water at the finish and a nice spread of fruit, bagels and cookies.  Did 2 cooldown loops of the course with some friends to finish with 10 miles for the day.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/10Jail.txt

Get in the Pink 5k

This is the 2nd year of an event that’s a fund raiser for breast cancer, with the 10k being the “marquee” event. I’m coming off the 23 miles of relay last weekend so I decided to go for the shorter race. A surprising amount of people for this race, though I think most were not in it for the competition (definitely true by the finish times). Gun time was 8:15, 15 min after the 10k start. Heat was rough already, probably close to 80 degrees (high of 90 I think today). I warmed up about 2 miles, and was sweating already. I needed some water at the start but none to be found (car was too far away). Lined up first row – there were a few people in singlets that I know (including the dude that beat me to win the Healthy Capital 5k last month). These guys were 18:xx, but in their early 40’s,  so my goals were to sub 20 it and win my age group. A 49 yo woman (Sarah)  that I know and  used to be a top national masters runner was also there, trying to come back from injury.

The start was good and I ran in the first group for the first half mile, then tried to focus on hitting low 6 splits. The heat was already getting to me inthe first mile, so this did not bode well. Sarah was with me stride for stride, though I could tell she was laboring too. The 1 mile marker was way off – at about 0.8 miles – so that was disheartening. Hit the real first mile in 6:06, so pretty good pace. Crowd started to thin at this point. A group of 3 were about 50 meters ahead, and then me and another guy I wasnt familiar with. Sarah dropped back at this point and it was just me and the other guy the whole 2nd mile. At the end of the mile I started to pull ahead of him, – he told me “its going to be hard to break 19 today” . I’m not sure if this was to get in my head, but we were close to this pace at the time. Hit mile 2 at 6:16 pace. Around this time the lead runner from the 10k (begun 15 minutes earlier) caught up (he’s a running legend in SC and does about 32 minutes, so I knew thi swould happen ahead of time). Still, I was afraid it was someone in my race when I heard him. I was really, really hurting at this point. The course turned and made a slight incline into a very long straightaway, where I could see the finish way off in the distance. My breathing was getting so fast that I had to slow down slightly to make sure I didnt have to stop. Luckily the dude behind me was feeling it too, because I couldnt hear him behind me. I knew he was close though with the cheering from the few spectators. The last half mile or so was pure torture, and it was a supreme mental effort to keep going. Finished mile 3 in 6:36 and was able to muster a feeble kick to the line. Crossed in 19:44, 4th place overall and 1st in AG. The guy behind me finished 6 seconds later and is 39, so I was very glad I was able to fend him off, especially because this race had hardware only for 1st. Happy with the time, especially considering the heat. A little disappointed though because my pace was for a PR until that last mile, which is usually my strength. I may need to adjust my pacing with this heat becoming such a factor.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/10PINK.TXT

Thanks to Mr Sig for the support and organizing a cool relay event. I know we were a team that was kind of random and most of us met just before the race – I had no expectations of being competitive but it was thrilling how the team really came together and almost placed overall.

I had three legs to the relay: 8.8 miles, 6.6 miles and 7.5 miles each about 8 hours apart. I was runner #3 on the team and you can see the legs on the website. My goal was to try and maintain close to the calculated relay pace, which was 7:27 for me. This is also almost right at the pace I would need to qualify for Boston, so it would be interesting to see how I responded.

Right off the bat, though, I knew this was going to be tough. The high on both days was scheduled for high 80’s. I had my first leg at around noon, and it was already broiling. I was roaring to go on the first leg (8.8 mi) and did a ridiculous 1st mile for the conditions, around 6:45. Not a good idea. Not only was my leg full of hills but completely exposed with little or no shade. I basically hemmorhaged seconds each split as the heat really took its toll. Fell all the way to about 8 minutes/mile by mile 8, but was able to go sub 8 pace again in the last 0.8 with the van and exchange zone in sight. Just brutal conditions. To make matters worse, the runner on the team we were closest to blew by me halfway into the leg, pulling about 5ish pace (later found out he was a 2:30 marathoner). I was really spent after that leg and started to worry about how it would effect the other legs.

2nd leg (6.6 miles)was thankfully at night, just after 8:30 or so. I knew our team was doing well, just a few minutes behind our projected pace despite the terrible heat. Temps had cooled to the 60’s and I was feeling better, though still not 100 percent. Had to run in a crazy get up – reflective vest, headlamp and 2 blinking red lights, in a completely dark rural area with little but a straight road, which thankfully was nearly flat. I decided to go all out and reclaim some of that lost time from my first leg. Felt really good after I got going – just started knocking off 6:50ish and 7:0X splits. Passed a few people, but 2:30 marathon guy caught me again in the 3rd mile. At 6.6 miles by Garmin I still couldnt see a finish and I was close to panicking that I had missed a turn. Finally saw the exchange zone and Garmin read 6.96 miles at 7:08 pace. I was happy with that, but started worrying immediately about that last leg. I was pretty cashed at that point, having done almost 16 miles of hard race effort.

We had a hotel room to crash for a little bit after the last runner in our van did his leg at 11:00 pm or so. No one was really sleeping though so we headed for the next exchange zone to try and sleep while the other van ran their legs. Got maybe 2 hours of very interrupted sleep in our van. Woke up feeling completely wrecked – sore and exhausted.  Our other van (with Mr Sig) had kept up the good pace, and I was determined to try and continue that. My last leg was 7.5 miles, again flat and straight, at about 5:30 in the morning. My toes were killing me from doing the first 2 legs in my racing flats, and my quads were already really sore. I switched to my trainers for the last leg, which was probably a mistake. I again took off in the first mile, doing 7:15, but I knew I was in trouble pretty fast. Just felt terrible physically and the lack of sleep made the mental effort even tougher. Was able to hold it together through the first 4 miles at OK pace mid to high 7’s, but the wheels came off at about mile 5. I started seeing spots and the headlamp light was disorienting me a bit. After being unable to shake it, I just stopped and walked for about 10-15 seconds, and was able to recover enough to keep going. The last miles were brutal – I was more concerned about actually completing the leg and not being a medical issue more than maintaining any kind of pace. Somehow I was able to keep an 8:30ish pace, probably because I was so intent to finish. Passed a guy that looked as bad as I felt, but was walking, tried to offer some encouragement. Actually was able to get a second wind and do 7:50 in the last half mile, and man was I glad to get that leg over.

After my finish I felt much better and coffee and a sausage biscuit totally reenergized me. I was sorer than I’ve ever been, but it was great to follow the remaining 9 runners all the way to Folly Beach, including a group finish with Mr Sig for the last 100 meters.

In all, a unique and cool experience. I had a really nice and supportive team, so that made the painful parts much more bearable. Was so excited that a team of newbies like ourselves could have placed so well.

Healthy Capital 5k

Local 5k, competing with a trail 10k on the same morning. Got there super early to do my warmup 2 miles. I like running the last mile of the course backwards then forwards to get a good feel for the finish. Registered on site because I had missed the early discounted rate 2 weeks ago. I ran this race last year, and it was fun because there are a lot of high school students there and the band plays, so the energy is good. I ran another half mile when a friend showed up. We looked around at the start and saw a few familiar faces but no one we knew that was faster than us. This was kind of initimidating, because all of a sudden an overall win became a reality. One singlet guy next to me was a wild card. My Garmin crapped out on me before the race – thought it was charged up but one of my kids must of knocked it off.
The course was pretty simple – one loop, with a shared quarter mile hill at the start and finish. Unfortunately the start was the downhill.

With the gun there was a mass stampede effect going down the hill. A large group of students sprinted down only to drop off after a quarter mile. Hard to gauge pace. I kept up near the front and started inching upward at about the half mile mark. Passed 2 guys and now was running 2nd, with the leader (singlet guy) fairly far ahead but definitely in sight. Passed by the mile marker and my friend (who was running in a small pack in 3rd -6th) shouted out a 5:50ish pace. This made me panic somewhat, because I was already breathing pretty hard.  Somehow I was able to settle into a manageable pace after about a mile and a half. After a while the pack behind me was no longer audible and I tried to set my sights on the leader. I was definitely making up ground but just not quick enough. I didnt have any splits other than the first, and no one was around me, so I just tried to red line it the best I could. I was really closing in on leader guy toward the end of the third mile, but then the quarter mile hill hit. This pretty much neutralized any chance  I had at kicking it past this guy. He was able to hold his position so I just gave it all I could up this brutal hill. There was a turn and a steeper hill for the last .10  – I took a quick look back and there was no one in sight. I saw the clock turn over to 19 minutes and struggled across the line in 19:20. Very excited about the time and the overall finish. My friend was able to kick it on the hill and finished 3rd. Had to wait forever for the awards. Turned out they only did first overall awards and the rest age group. Took home first in age group obviously, but was crushed when I heard 1st got 50 bucks! Oh well – still an awesome race for me. Time to adjust my 2010 goals again!

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/10CAP.TXT