Notes
Wow! New 4-mile PR. I didn't expect to run this fast; I was just hoping to beat my time from last year (29:28).
Threw my race plan out the window and just ran with Susan. When we passed the first mile mark in 6:53, I thought we were in trouble. At mile 2 I was hurting. During mile 3 I considered backing off, thinking I could still hit sub-28 even with a 7:20 mile. But I hung on and stuck with Susan. The last mile had a lot of downhill, and we pushed pretty hard. I gave a strong kick and finished well. 27:18, 20 seconds faster than my previous PR and on a much hillier course.
At one point in this race I was hurting, and if I had been running on my own I probably would have let up. But I thought of the most recent Running Times and the article about dealing with pain. I pictured myself feeling strong and crossing the finish line. And immediately I felt better. I think it also helped a lot to have Susan running with me; I'm pretty sure I would have given in if not for her company.
I seem to run faster when I race with Susan. I've got to get her out to a 5k, and maybe I can finally break 20. :)
Splits:
Mile 1: 6:53
Mile 2: 6:48
Mile 3: 7:07
Mile 4: 6:29