Notes
Missed a bunch of splits. Not a chip timed race. Weight is a guess. Pretty accurate I think.
Started out three or four rows from the start and immediately got into a good pace. Garmin said 5:45 so I slowed it down until I was between 6:10 and 6:15. It was hard as everyone was running that first mile fast. Saw some of my competition go out way faster than me (Clarke, Teeters, Steedman, Davis) and I thought briefly about trying to stay with Clarke since he's much closer to me than those others but decided to let him go and stick with my plan of running easy(er) the first 6 or 7 miles. At the big hill going towards the neighborhood I caught up to a group of 3 runners with Doug Steeman among them and another Aggie named Ethan and someone else I didn't know. I ran for a few hundred yards with them and they seemed to be slowing more than I wanted to on those hills so I moved on PAST Steedman! I was skeered shitless as he's a much faster runner than me. Anyway I just kept pluggin down to the neighborhood loop and back out to the trail for the return trip. Saw Trimball and Clarke up ahead and I was thinking if I got those guys I'd be Top 5 in Seniors! I knew that Davis, Kennan, Mickle and Pilcher were well out of my ability. So I concentrated on Trimball and passed him 1/2 mile before the bridge. Kept up the pace and reeled in Clarke at a 1/4 mile after the bridge. I made sure to pass him HARD even though I was pretty much gassed and I kept up that pace for at least another 1/4 mile to make sure he got the message. So now I'm running hard just hoping I don't die and I've got 5th place all sewed up .... not really. about a mile from the finish I pass this younger River City Rebel who I didn't know. I could hear the footsteps and breathing behind me and I'm thinking it's this kid who I don't care about. So I don't worry much. Then we make the first turn onto the bridge over the river to the finish and Doug Steedman passes ME hard! Those footsteps were his. He made dam sure I wasn't going to be able to respond by not passing me sooner. I can't believe he took it away from me! I gotta get faster. I did try to speed up and catch him but no cigar. If he'd have made his pass a mile earlier I think I would have been able to stay right with him to the end. Turns out I was 8th as there was another two guys I didn't know about up there. Good racing!