Notes
10k - 32:32.27 (with a seed time of 32:32.32 mind you)
5k - about 16:17
So even 5k's, but I believe I had a lot of ups and downs within both.
After barely remembering I needed hip numbers and also barely getting to the start line. I settled in about 6th place while watching 2 guys up front yo-yo a bit. I soon suspected maybe it was my pack that was yo-yo-ing. I latched onto one platteville guy for the 1st 2 miles and eventually got into 3rd. I was not enjoying the draft, though. Maybe it was me, but it seemed like he really slowed down going into the wind, and picked it up when the wind was behind us. I dropped off his pace around 2 miles, then around 5k I started picking it up and passed him. Then, he hung on me for a few laps before gaping me again. With 1-2 miles to go I really started pushing and passed the platteville guy once again. However, he stayed right on me and starting kicking from 500m when I was thinking more of a 100-200m kick. He ended up passing the other unattached guy who had been fading and thouroughly thanked me afterwards for pushing him. I, too, benefited from this back-and-forth, but I didn't have the killer instinct to finish him off. Probably because I'm just caring about time (and the last lap of a 10k is a little late to make up time), but I hope I can get cured of that.
Overall, that's the longest I've hurt in a 10k (or any race besides 1/2 marathons), it was a long grind and I'll be better off because of it.
I was hoping for a better time but I'm still optimistic. Though, I think that optimism is more towards next year. I'll try to focus on this season before getting amped about big miles this summer.