Ahhhh! I'm way behind on race reports, so I'm going to make this one quick...
Me and Eli showed up with plenty of time to get in a good warm up. I ended up doing a bit on my own, a bit Eli, a bit with Terry, and a bit with Kevin. We passed Jon Waldron and the timing wasn't quite right so he kept on with his warm up, which after reading some of his blog posts seems like it's been a new routine. And effective - Good to hear!
Lining up, I was on the front line, and I don't know why Pickleman is always a row or two back....Anyways, we were waiting just a little bit too long and I was starting to get cold, as it was pretty windy and chilly. It worked out fine though, and the gun went off and I did my best to get out of the fray and into some open space. A guy in a tight fitting Under Armour shirt was hanging with the front pack....working HARD! He didn't last long. Gotta pace yourself my man!
The course takes you out and into an industrial park parking lot before doubling back, and I was in a good position and able to get a peak back at other runners. Pickleman passed me at some point, but other than that, I was basically holding steady. I knew this distance could perhaps favor Andrew Holmes, who beat me at the 5k to start the Pub Series, but since then I've been able to get out quick and hold position. Today would be a battle though.
After passing the mile mark, there is the tiniest of hills. One that during warm ups made me question my memory leading up to the race - had I really called this a hill last year? Once we crested the 'hill', I realized I had a decent line of runners behind me. It was a windy day, and I was the lead windbreaker. Fun. After a pretty big gust of wind, I moved to the side to see if anyone else wanted to take the duty, and Holmes was just behind me. I think he assumed I was just stepping to the side to get a look around. At first I didn't slow, and he stayed at basically the same pace. Then I slowed just a tiny bit to tuck in, and he made a move to push the pace right when he saw me slow. It caught me off guard just a bit and I had to really focus to keep a rope on him. Darn you Holmes!
The guys ahead of us were well ahead of us, so this was the battle for fourth.
We turned and weaved through the neighborhood's pot-holed streets, and all the while Holmes kept his foot on the pedal. I worked through a bit of a rough patch, but I stayed close. As we made one of the final sharp turns toward the finish I made a quick and subtle move to tuck onto the inside of the turn, and accelerated. I was working hard, but under control and I could tell that the 2nd mile had been some work for him while he tried to drop me. Thankfully, I had held on and worked out of the rough spot, and I was able to create a gap.
The mileage has been paying off lately, and I think this race was the start of it. It's not a crazy fast time based on past results, but without any type of taper I'm very pleased with these results.
Splits:
5:27.24
5:27.73
5:27.97
Final: 16:21, good for 4th place. Good showing by CSUers all around.
A great post race party as well, and I learned that an HFC, dood, Cory also reads the blog. What up Cory! One of, I dunno, 6 or 7 now...HA! Comment if you have a blog too and include a link.
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