Notes
Perfect day for a race. Decided to go shirtless at 48F. Good decision. The race opened with a real starter-pistol, which really sent my heart racing and literally made me jump. Of the line I was in the lead pack training this short hispanic guy who had a 3 second lead on us in 100meters. Around the first KM I fell back in the pack. I knew I was running hot -- really hot. I just wanted to settle down into my pace. At the first mile my split was 5:45 after the "hill". This hill wasn't much; the course was otherwise pretty flat. But I couldn't wait for the first mile to end.
In the second mile I was passed by a kid who after 400m seemed to be too slow for me. Irritatingly he had some weird "inside track" to the open road. It was an effort to pass him only in the jockying sense. I did and kept rolling. I knew it was a little slow -- but since I'd gone out really hot I didn't know if I could hold for the 2nd and 3rd.
There were no markers. The one woman reading splits seemed to be at the 2/3s point rather than anything really meaningful. I think she thought she was at mile two. She was reading off 13:30 when I passed, but that can't be right either.
During mile two a short 16yo passed me in florescent green long-sleeves. I passed him back about half way through the second mile. Wasn't sure how close behind me he was, but pretty close.
In mile 3 I kept trucking. The whole race I'd looked at my watch twice: the 1st mile and the 2nd. The second said 6:15 so, I knew it was slow. But I was running by feel. And it felt pretty good -- hard but sustainable effort. The 3rd mile was just keeping my head in the game and rolling.
There were two really nice things about this course: the first-mile hill was down-hill in the last mile. And you could see the finish line from about 800m. I put my mind in training mode and just kept focusing on the finish line. Unfortunately, there was no time displayed -- but I kept pushing. I opened it up in the last 200m; the finishing kick wasn't impressive -- it was just faster than the rest of my pace.
The 16yo nosed me at the finish line for a 1/100 second difference in time, capturing 5th. I got 6th. it was only then I looked down at my watch and saw 18:05 (18:03 official). Holy shit. And here I was just trying for sub-19 . . . as in 18:59.
For 1st in AG, I got a brick painted gold.