Notes
Broke 29! So that's good. Team-wise, it was less good. 5th of 7 teams, and I was 8th on the team.
Thoughts, notes, and musings:
1) With a 28:59, I really would like to be about tenth on the team. Eighth is a bit high for comfort.
2) Considering how I feel loose and really good right now (except for a touch of a headache), I should have gone faster. No excuses here.
3) That said, a 22 second PR in muddy and sopping wet conditions is solid. Arguably, it could say more about my previous races, but then again, I've slashed a minute off my time from freshman year.
4) I really like running on terrible courses. I would say three of my four strongest performances in college (City 2011, final outdoor 2011, UMass Dartmouth 2011, this course) have been in foul conditions (namely, mud, rain, and mud).
5) I feel like this was a better tactical race than usual. I hung back at the start and then moved up through the pack. I think that's the best strategy for me, because it's what I've done in races that I've felt good about.
6) I should have started my finishing kick sooner. Had I, the Coast Guard guy was within reach, I think. That said, I managed to pass two people in the finishing straight and might have gotten a third, but I can't remember.
7) This is one of the first races where I never hit the point where I felt like I had to slow down on a downhill. First time down Bear Cage I was passed by about 6 people in a group, but I grabbed on and then picked a few of them off going into the Wilderness.
8) I feel like I pushed a touch too hard on the far side of the field first time by. I tried to surge past two Springfield guys, but they recaught me by the finish line. Then I managed to keep one of them in sight and passed him with less than 8 meters to go.
Overall, on further reflection, it was a disappointing race. I can't honestly say that I left it all on the course. Yes, it was a 22 second course PR. But there were points where I lost time and that shouldn't have happened. But looking at the times from All-New Englands, we're right there with those times.