Productive day in Groton for sandbagging, unlike last year when I was on antibiotics for strep. Feeling somewhat flat while warming up, thanks to staying up too late last night. Resulted in some mild concern but on the starting line of the 5k it was apparent there was only one person worth worrying about. Separated from the rest of the field by the mile mark reached just over 5 minutes, in the clear by 2 miles which went by in 10:17. Took the initiative in the second mile although I wanted to wait a little longer. Tried to extend the lead on the final uphill stretch right after 2 mile mark, with the idea of coasting the rest of the way. Finished with the usual 8 second gap before the next guy. It's worth noting that the wind was once again blasting away, and got worse as the day progressed. Gusting, swirling, and as ever seemed always to be in our faces. Cool temps but not worth the trade-off, the wind has been obnoxious all week.
Tried to keep it under control at the start of the 10k with partial success, hitting the mile in 5:40. Next three miles were all around 5:55 and didn't feel so great for the slow number. Getting crushed by the wind all this time though. In the 5th and 6th miles, when I might otherwise have been content to play out the string, I found myself stalking one and then another guy struggling with anything resembling an uphill. No need to reel either of them in as I was running for age group glory only, but the competitive juices took over and I went after each of them. This resulted in splits of 5:43 and 5:30. The latter split came as a surprise as that mile is net uphill. Felt controlled though, and finished with the same 8 second gap over the next finisher. Skipped the cooldown entirely other than a walk to the car, as I had to get home for a late lunch.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment