Notes
Well first and foremost I had fun and really enjoy these races, and it was cool to have a "teammate" there, and that's the main takeaway. I expected very little and I really didn't care about what I ran; today was just about having some fun on a Thursday night.
But yeah... obviously not so great haha. HOT one for sure. Certainly cooler at 7 than it was at 4 or 5 but still pretty rough. Course is generally well-shaded though so that helps. Generally the same crowd up front as last time so I assumed Sam and I would be 1-2 in that order. We eased away early and ran together for probably close to half of the race, at which point my lack of fitness started to show as Sam pulled away... although, truth is he was just slowing down less than I was. I settled a little on the last mile (hard to motivate yourself to when you're pushing for a 17:30) but was pretty toasted in that heat anyway. Ended up 26s back of Sam (but only 20s in front of that fast female... yikes!) a minute slower than last time but no shock there. By the markers I went 5:32 - 5:45 - 5:49 - 40. Sam and I were both surprised by the first mile... didn't feel that fast and I was aiming for slower.
Again, though, crappy race notwithstanding, it was a fun night with good company.