Notes
This was a decent race. I felt quite strong early on, and I definitely ran the first 10K too fast (setting a 10K PR in the process, in 35:20). As a result, I crashed hard over the last 3 miles, which were also particularly hilly. I ran 55 seconds slower than last year, which I am not thrilled about, but I am not surprised either. My endurance is simply not as good as it was last year at this point. My speed and sharpness, however, I believe are better.
My right Achilles does not feel good now. The injury is not acute as it was in January, and there is no swollen mass on the upper tendon. However, it is quite sore and tight. I have started a regimen of icing and ibuprofen. I will restart my strengthening exercises in a day or two. I really need to get on top of this issue.
Mile splits: 5:33, 5:46, 5:34, 5:33, 5:46, 5:50, 5:58, 6:19, 5:58 (1:50)
I recovered a bit over the 9th mile and felt OK coming through the finish. This was mainly because I had neither a competitor nor a PR to defeat at this point. The mediocre performance overall was not an effort issue, as I was struggling heavily during the crux of the race (miles 7 and 8).