Notes
Zena was a good choice for the first race of 2015. There was some drama heading into this one too. Due to his recently having run away from me at the end of long runs, Orestes was subtly or not-so-subtly hinting that he was planning to "scalp" me at Zena. Orin has also been coming into very good form. With those two being ready to roll, I was feeling vulnerable at the line. When it came to race time, however, I was surprised to find I had a gap by the time we hit the gravel just beyond the first mile marker. I rolled through 6+ without much fatigue and the downhill felt smooth. I took a glance back at the 6 mile corner, and seeing OG and Orin near the 6 mile cone, estimated I had a little over a minute gap at that point. Then the two long grinding hills in the final 3 miles put me in serious debt. Determined to hold Orin off, I tried to push through mile 8 knowing there would be some downhill after that point. At mile 8.5 Steve Bean told me it was in the bag and to cruise it in. I looked back, saw no one, and took it a little easier into the finish. Four in a row. Good company: OG, Orin, Steve R, TK, Larry Coxe, Kc, and Steve B, Josh, and Renee in the 6 miler. Big Eugene sweep.