Notes
CBRC Chili Chase 4 Miler in Davenport.
COULD NOT BE MORE HAPPY WITH MY RACE. 3rd place overall behind 2 studs and ran a pretty smart and efficient race. 25:34 in those conditions? Actually pretty damn fast. I'm not a time trialer like I always thought I was. Not to say I don't believe I can run fast, but to say I'm a racer. I'm a gamer. I have given myself the ability to be competitive. No one is more competitive than I, so I do this racing thing pretty well.... Like I always thought I could...
Raceplan was:
Go out aggressive, and find a pack (probably chase pack) and lay low until I find my time to move.
Actually happened:
I did that and I didn't do that. I got out real aggressive, was in front for a hot minute. Love that feeling, need to chase that more. I then settled in as I let the leaders go, b/c they were picking it up and I knew that wasn't smart. One guy got kicked out of the front pack and came back to me, we were the chase pack. I guy in a white shirt was hanging out behind us. Instead of settling in I decided to attack the pace, the big hill, and the guy in the black shirt. He was a little more chatty than I was but I liked him. He sat on me for the longest time, and after the big downhilll we turned into the wind and I let him catch up and help do some of the work. As soon as I hit the hairpin turn with the wind at my back I took off. Determined to lose my shadow I had the first half of the race. I lost him pretty quickly and was cruising back up towards the impending hill. Chatty and white shirt had formed a consolidated pack as they trailed me 10-20m behind. That concerned me because I was working alone, but I decided to continually stay on the offensive and keep the ball rolling up the long hill. As I approached the top I noticed white shirt had dropped chatty and was making up ground on me. As I crested the hill and made the turn towards the downhill I made the decision to go. Don't sit, get caught, and then try to recover with a kick. No. I decided with 7/8ths of a mile to go that I was going to go for broke. Running the downhill, my newfound added skill (thanks to Jim Walmsley), I was absolutely flying, I did not have my GPS on but I gamble I was probably sub 5. I hit the turn to home as it the elevation once again shifted upwards. To my impending doom. I left the foot on the gas peddle, while I waited for the man in white to show his face behind me. Just before the elevation became aggressive glanced back to find the man in white, defeated. He wasn't slowing down but I knew he was too far to catch me, unless I fell. I gritted my teeth and gutted out the final straight, still uphill. It was for honor and as soon as I saw the clock I was excited, it was faster than I thought I'd be on a day with as many obstacles as it had.
The race officials, who seemed to have bet on who would finish when like and respectable runner, seemed to have deemed me "mullet." I thought that was on brand with who I portray and who I want to be. (and wholly accurate).