Notes
Not a very well run race. First two miles were way too slow (7:23) and pretty much killed any chance of a new PR. I made the mistake of lining up too far back in the crowd thinking that I should be well behind a lot of the 5K runners (who lined up simultaneously). Unfortunately, most of the 5K runners were running slower mile times than my 10K race pace, and I ended up stuck behind a lot of folks. By the time I finally cleared into some space after mile 2, the damage was pretty much done. Also, there was no mile 1 marker (or I missed it) so I didn't really realize how much time I'd lost until after two miles. I should have had a better sense of my pacing so that I could have been more aggressive (or worn my Garmin).
I can't blame the crowds entirely, however. While mile 4 came in nicely, miles 5 (7:18?) and 6 are nothing to brag about. I should have been able to hold the 7:05 target given how slowly my race started. Maybe I just didn't have the needed motivation since I'd already accomplished my 2007 goals for the 10K in last week's race. My final sprint was pretty strong, and I certainly didn't get outkicked by anyone (in fact, I was passed by no one for the last 2.5 miles, and I passed only 1 person in the last 2.5 miles ... weird).
On the plus side, I broke 45:00, which is nice. It shows that I really did try, even if it wasn't my best effort. And the race was a lot of fun, with lots of people in costume, and plenty of doggies hanging around for dropped bagels. All in all, not a bad way to spend a beautiful, crisp Sunday morning.