Notes
Paul Short Open 8k
One of the best cross country races I've had in a while. Race field was massive, roughly 600 people overall. Started probably in the back half of the field, just keeping an eye on Jake and Cody as they were planning on going out at 5:!5 for the first mile. Ended up going through the first mile in 5:25, much slower than what I was hoping for. I felt good though and I needed to cover a lot of ground quickly, so I really took off and just bagged a lot of runners in the process. Went through second mile in roughly 4:58, so big overcompensation, but it got me into better positioning. I felt strong though, so I used that momentum to propel me through 3rd and 4th mile with consistent speed. I was struggling a bit in the last 2k, but when I heard that my 6k split was roughly 19:30, I knew I really had to work this last 2k hard to go under 26. Kicked hard at the end and saw that I was edging 25:40, so I knew a big PR was on the horizon.
Official time was 25:41. Went from 320th place in first mile to 82nd by 4th mile. Overall was 94th place. I lost a lot of position that last mile, definitely need to not lose momentum. Can't believe how great I felt in those miles. Says a lot about what I could run if I didn't start out so slow.
Jack Saint Clair is on the horizon next week, but time will not be a concern, but placement as it is a very tough cross country course and club money is on the line.
Based on results, my splits were:
1 mile - 5:27
3.9 mile - 20:27
If I calculated my pace in the last 1.07 miles, that would have been covered in 5:14, or 4:54/mile. Didn't think I was running that fast near the end.
Positives: Ran a big PR in great weather and a fast race! Moved up really well the whole distance and kicked strong in the end.
Negatives: Didn't trust my fitness enough despite knowing I was feeling good. I still had some energy left in me but I wasn't sure if I still could have finished had I used it.
Overall: A good step in the right direction. Minor things to work on before Rothman 8k, where I will go under 25:00.