Notes
Almost exactly 24 hours post-race, I sit on my front stoop trying to figure out what to say about this race. Partly for the on average 5.5 people who read my log, and mostly so I remember what the race was at some future point when I come back looking. And after about 10 minutes of just staring off into the sunset on a beautiful evening, I guess instead of trying to figure out what to say I'll just say the truth. Seems like a good place to start.
Truth is I'm bummed about this race. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting to do, but I was expecting to do better than I did. I can go through any number of factors that could be excuses, but that's all they would be. The simple fact is I'm not as fit as I hoped I was. And in reality its not a new feeling: I'm a distance runner, I spend my entire life hoping to be fitter. And last night I either overestimated my fitness or underestimated how much fatigue was in my legs- or likely a combination of the two. Whatever it was, I just didn't have what I wanted to have. But you know, that's life.
Anders always tells me "you don't get faster by being a bitch", and I hope that jumping into a track 10k, on April 19th, and giving it all I had, made me not a bitch. I got fitter today, and I suppose that's what the goal was.
That, and I got to do what I love to do most in the world: race, and with great company. And I would do it again.
I haven't actually looked at results, but I'm pretty sure I was DFL. Something I'm not sure I've ever done before. But last night sitting in bed, I knew that DFL was better than DNS or DNF, and I was proud of that.
I'm also old enough and experienced enough to think about it for a day and then not let it bother me. I have an honest benchmark, and that's what I went looking for. Next week, and even tomorrow, brings new workouts and new opportunities to get faster, and there are more races to come.
Oh, and 40:38? That won't be my dying track, 10K PR. You can be sure of that.