Notes
Okay so not the best race but also not the worst. The start was super weird. Nobody even knew we were starting, so I wasn't in the right position to start with, v frustrating. I started out too fast, thinking I was taking it easy, clearly I wasn't. Finally, got caught by the top group of girls about a mile in but didn't latch on because it was a long race and I was nervous already about dying with a fast mile 1. Wanted to work my way down to 6:30 pace so I didn't just drop and run a super slow mile and have to pick it up all over again. My stomach started hurting really bad around mile 4 because girl probs, damn it. Tried to hang tight and just not poop my pants. Was constantly dumping water on myself to stay cool. Ran a better part of 7/8 miles alone so it was not great for competitiveness or racing off others around me. Also, felt horrible and not in a racing mood. My plan of working my way down starting mile 5/6 didn't really work and I, apparently, decided to go with the reverse kick. Would have felt better about the race even if I had sustained the 6:30's for those 3 miles, but c'est la vie. I know I can run faster and at least I have this as a solid jumping off point.
Overall: Positives
A solid start to longer races with lots of room to grow
Didn't poop my pants
Did a good job pushing through the shitty (lol) parts
Ability to re-engage with the race towards the end
Overall: Needs to improve
Being mentally strong and confident in my ability to run LONGER races
Staying engaged for the entirety of the race
Run tough, it's a race, treat every mile like one
Relax a bit in the beginning (okay, even more)
Confidence before the race, you can run ten miles fairly fast and easily, now go fucking do it (don't let the miles or the people get in your way of doing something you love...)
Getting eating/life a little bit more under control so I'm race ready