Notes
Bix 7 in the Quad Cities. I started in the Elite category for the first time at this race. I was surrounded by most of the Iowa road racing scene and was hoping to mix it up a little better after a good race last year. I chatted with Bennett Moser before the race and he said he was planning on running a tempo for 38:30. My goal was 37:30 so I thought it would be good to run near him for a while. Up the first hill I settled into the second group of "local" guys and let some of the top Iowa guys go. At the top of the hill I felt alright but definitely not great. I went through the mile in 5:45 and was a little disappointed that it was about the same as last year while weaving around people. The long downhill wasn't great. Bennett came back up on me and I tried to jump on his pace but I just couldn't handle it. My legs were heavy and I could tell it could end up being a long day. The rest of the race was kind of the same. I actually ran a pretty decent second half but I felt terrible doing it. I passed more people than passed me but it never really felt like I was racing, more surviving. After it was over I was more satisfied with how it turned out considering how bad I felt early on. It is just disappointing to be that far away from my goal and slower than last year, especially when I know I am in a lot better shape than last year.