Notes
2nd place. No Africans showed up but I think it was because of the early week forecast which called for 20 degrees, 20 mph wind and a good chance of snow in the morning. Turned out reasonable, 29 degrees, 4-6 mph wind and no precipitation. So other than it being cold, conditions were pretty good considering the alternative. They held us on the line for 10 min because of some timing problems so my legs were getting a little numb just standing there. Gun went off and I shot to the front with a guy in a gold singlet. Didn’t know who he was so I shadowed him for the first two miles. Rolled past him at 2 miles riding a down hill and he blew me up on the following incline and I fought to get back but he kept extending. Ran literally the last 10.5 miles alone. Didn’t check my watch until the 6 mile when I hit 31:0x so I knew I wasn’t jogging along. No sign of anyone chasing me so tried to keep gold singlet in sight. By 7 miles, using land marks, he was over a minute ahead of me. I worked on staying in it mentally and not letting the pace lag too much but a few of the late hills fugged my wangles and I couldn’t rip it. After a climb to mile 10 that was slow, I wanted to finish strong because I knew I’d be close to the 68 minute barrier and wanted to be sure I’d get under. 4:56 last mile along the riverfront. Not unhappy with this morning at all. I know I’m capable of running faster, this course was just constant up and down, over 500 ft of elevation gain. I was focused mentally and did a good job on my own, hoping that USATF Champs will be a great chance to prove I am fitter than today.