Notes
Des Moines Capital Pursuit 10 Mile, 2nd Place ($200), 50:53. Got all three of the bad h's: hot, hilly (250 ft of gain), humid. I knew coming into the race that the weather was going to be a factor, but didn't expect it to be so warm before the sun even came up; 72 degrees, 89% humidity, 68 dew point, 8mph SSW wind. I was feeling sluggish on the warm up but that wasn't too much cause for concern, its usually a 50-50 chance of feeling good vs. crap, but I did notice that I was already feeling the thick humidity and temp just a mile into it. I knew I'd have to hold back in the early stages so I wouldn't overcook the pace and end up with positive splits. Had a group of 4-5 early on but we started with the 5k runners so I couldn't tell who was in which race. I did know that my main competition would be Stan Linton who used to run for Iowa Runablaze and is a Trials qualifier in the marathon so I kept my eye on him through the first couple miles. We turned to split off the 5k course and I was surprised that everyone that was in our little pack was in the 10 mile. I had been putting pressure on the pace while running my natural speed through 3 miles until Linton took over. I followed him closely up the long uphill portion but the last steep uphill by Drake University was where he started to get a gap. I knew I'd break the 3rd place guy but wanted to keep Linton close for some possible late-race heroics. We were rolling down hill for long stretches after 6 miles but I was stuck in a 5:0x's rhythm. At 7 miles I counted a 15 second gap and set out to whittle that down. The sun was out in full by then and I was starting to roast in it. I didnt drink any water at the aid stations but I poured full cups over my head every chance I had in an effort to stay cool. at 8 and even 9 the gap was a steady 10-15 sec but looked more and more insurmountable. at 9 I deferred to 2nd place and chose to not stress about catching Linton. I was out there to get the feeling of racing and I had it, but to press my luck and trashy my body in a tune-up race, for a 'chance' at winning didnt seem like a fair trade off. I never checked my watch through out the run so I was oblivious to the splits, I got close to finish clock and put in a little extra push to ensure I was under 51. Taking into account the unfavorable heat and high humidity, which comes to a 3% conversion (4:55/mile), I was running close to my half marathon pr pace on flat tired legs. While I wanted to come in and get a win and run a fast time, which I didnt in my opinion, I think looking at it from different angles there are positives to take away from today! 5:01, 5:09, 5:12, 5:15, 5:06, 5:08, 5:07, 4:56, 4:54, 4:52