Definitely not quite the finish time I was hoping for, and a lapse in concentration during the third mile probably killed off any slim chance I had of setting a new PR today. In truth the weather was far from ideal for a lifetime best race – temps in the 80s and high, high humidity will always work against you – but as I warmed up and prepared my mind, I was still hopeful for a fast time.

The race was due to start at 7:45am, and I timed my warm up routine to end just 4 or 5 minutes before this time. Mistake #1. With the sheer volume of traffic still entering the hospital grounds there was no way the race could start on time (thanks Ryan for the heads-up – wish you’d told me before I’d started the warm up….). No matter, I was well-hydrated, feeling relaxed and definitely raring to go. After a fantastic rendition of the US National Anthem (probably the best I’ve ever heard at any race), the starter called us to order and we were off.

The first half mile was silly (roughly 5:27 pace), but I eased off a little and soon settled into a nice rhythm with several good guys for company – friendly rival (if that makes sense) Billy Chorey being one of them. We passed one mile in 5:44, still a little quick, but definitely still feeling good. I suppose if you’re not feeling good one mile into an 8k, then you’re never going to have a good race.

Mile 2 also felt fairly comfortable (5:51), but the heat was rising and I wondered if I’d missed a water stop. I wasn’t so much thirsty, but definitely could have used a cup or two to cool myself off. I think I caught up to John Adams at about this stage of the race. He’d gone out really fast (as he always does) and was still running well. We exchanged a few words before I pressed on towards the halfway mark where thankfully the only water stop of the race was located.

Looking back, I’m not sure what happened in this third mile. I thought I’d surged to get faster (or at the very least maintain pace), but as the Garmin beeped and displayed a 6:07, I think I let out an audible “huh?”. The rest of the race is a bit of a blur. From what I remember, Billy Chorey was a short distance ahead and I was working at my max just trying to stay with him. I kind of drew level a couple of times but never felt comfortable, and to complicate the situation there was soon pressure from a couple of runners behind. I just knew the footsteps behind were from two guys in my age-group and probably talked myself out of having enough left in the tank to beat them.

Sure enough, they soon drew level and then surged ahead. I surged too and somehow managed to stay with them for about 30 seconds before something inside said “let them go”. Physically I was at my limit, but looking back, I’m not happy with my uncharacteristic mental weakness. Next time will be different, that’s for sure.

Surprisingly, looking back at my Garmin splits, I did manage to pick up the pace in the last two miles but I’m still mad for being passed by John and Kevin in the closing stages.

The heat and humidity were very oppressive, but I dealt with the conditions pretty well. No complaints with the weather. The race starting 15 minutes late didn’t help my precision warm-up routine either, but again, no complaints – all the runners were kept waiting the same amount of time. In hindsight I probably shouldn’t have run the 13 miler on Wednesday evening. Actually, let me rephrase that – I probably shouldn’t have run the 13 miler on Wednesday evening at 6:30 something pace. For me that’s almost race pace and realistically there was no way I would fully recover in 60 hours to run a lifetime best 8k. Also, the lunges and skipping on the following evening were probably not the smartest thing to do either. Physical lesson definitely learned, but I do have to work on the mental side of racing too. I won’t be passed in the last half mile of a race like that again.

One last comment. Today was probably the best turnout of local talent for quite some time and it was a real pleasure to be a part of the race and mix it up with the best in the region. I also feel really privileged to know so many great people in the running community and can’t wait to get back out there and start prepping for the next race. Oh yeah, I won a $10 gift certificate to the local running store which is always a nice bonus. Good times!