Notes
Grand Blue Mile. I had two goals going into the race.
1. To run 4:25. I figured this would happen if I executed #2.
2. To respond to the big moves that would likely come off of the turn since that is where I got dropped last year.
So I got out feeling pretty good tucked in a pack with the leaders. I wasn't sure how fast we were running but I definitely felt comfortable. I didn't see any splits so I just hung in that pack. Around 800 one of the guys I expected to be competing for the win made a move. One other guy jumped right on it and another 3-5 of us picked up but were a couple steps back. They didn't seem to keep up the move though and we got back on them on the first turn. The guy that had made the move actually slipped back through the pack and by the time we made the second turn it was basically a group of 4-6 all together. The moves started to happen but didn't feel as big as last year, or maybe I was just much more prepared for them. I jumped up to the next gear with the rest of the group and all of the sudden realized I was feeling really comfortable and unsure if I should move to the front. I hadn't really thought about that possibility though and contemplated it long enough for someone else to make a big move. And apparently that move was big enough to scare me off because he got away from me. Another guy started chasing and I went after him but was still a couple steps behind. I feel like I was just waiting to get closer to the end to really kick and as we approached the last 150m or so I really went after it. I actually passed the second place guy with ease (although he must have answered after I went by because I didn't beat him by much), but first place was well out of reach. Fortunately I knew I wanted that time goal so I really dug to the line.
This was my best mile race since indoor 2016 and by far the best I have felt. It was also my fastest Grand Blue Mile since I ran 4:17 in 2015. Honestly, everything felt pretty good for most of the race and while I outperformed my goals I wasn't completely shocked by it since I knew I had been training well. That being said, I was still really excited with the race. It was nice to prove I could still run a fast mile and nice to cut 6 seconds off my own 30-34 age group record. I'm not really sure how the leader got so far ahead of me since I was feeling good in the race when he made a move, but I think it was partly due to the fact that I hadn't thought about the possibility of winning the race so I settled a little bit even though I was feeling good. I'm not saying I could have won but I think was content to let someone else go off the front and fight the pack for a good time. Similar to how I let the group go off the turn last year because I didn't think I was in shape to stay with them. So if I feel this good in terms of fitness next year, I think I need to bump my goal back up to winning.
Overall, I'm still really pleased with this race though. Definitely a positive step forward in racing.
2013 - 2nd - 4:22
2014 - 3rd - 4:26
2015 - 2nd - 4:17
2016 - 5th - 4:25
2017 - Injured
2018 - 5th - 4:29
2019 - 2nd - 4:23