Notes
Warmed up 18 minutes with Scott Wietecha and was feeling really pretty good. No shin pain and legs felt really smooth. Racing weather was perfect: High 60s, no wind, under the lights on the track.
Before the race, I talked with Brock Baker of MBA fame who was planning on going out in 4:40 pace which would bring him through in 14:35 for the 5k. I really wasn't sure if going out in that pace would kill me given the non-ideal training over the past 2 weeks, but I decided to give it a try.
Got of the line fine with minimal jostling. The race immediately separated into two packs: The group with Scott, the BAA guys and some Kenyans looking to go in the 14:00 range and then a group shooting for the 14:30s or 14:40s. As Salvador Allende said, "En este me ubico yo." Our group went out at incredibly even spits, going through the 400 in 69 and then the mile in 4:40 on the dot. Somewhere around 800m into the race, I had a little panic as I tried to move up in the group that I was pushing myself too hard, but that fear ended up being unfounded.
At 1.5 miles into the race, I suddenly found myself in last place but feeling pretty good. Despite slowing down in the second mile to a 4:47, I started reeling people in who were fading quickly. Having past most of my group save one runner, the final mile ended up being a largely mental battle. Though I held relatively strong the last mile and certainly picked it up a little from my second mile, I never was able to get myself into competitive racing mode to really go after Brandon York, the Vandy guy that finished 7 seconds in front of me at the Vanderbilt Invite.
All in all, not a bad race. If I had pushed myself harder or been less conservative during the first two miles, I definitely could have been in the high 14:30s, but I'm also happy that I didn't end up blowing up like I was worried I might. Congrats to Scott and John Ramsay on the big new PRs. Jeff, you'll get it next time.