This was the second year in a row for me running this race. This is one of the first races of the spring-like season here in Grand Rapids - approx 32F at the start and snow still on the ground in places isn't spring. Last year I had some issues with the race:
1) I was still recovering from a leg injury and hadn't been running very well or consistently.
2) There were so many people in this race and due to the course bottlenecking thanks to a couple of sharp turns in the first half mile it took almost the first mile to get in a rhythm. Plus this was the race I passed walkers, not being taking a walk break, after the first mile.
This year they split the race into two separate races, a men's and a women's race. This completely eradicated concern #2 from above.
My goal for the day was to use the race as a workout in my training for my first marathon. This week's quality workout was supposed to be 4x1200m at I pace (about 8:20/mile) so that was the pace I was hoping to maintain.
Mile 1: 8:09 felt pretty good, small slight hill in this mile plus the course turned sharply twice. Managed to make it without hitting any ice.
Mile 2: 8:22 this mile is pretty much a steady climb. Not a huge hill, but just steady. Felt pretty good at this point. I could tell I was working, but I was doing okay.
Mile 3: 8:01 downhill for the most part so I tried to let the hill carry me a bit. I got a shout of encouragement from the cross country coach at the college with about a half mile to go.
Finish: 25:23 which is a 25 second PR.
All in all I felt good at the end. Yeah, I could have pushed it a bit more, but for that day and what I was trying to accomplish (the workout) I feel it was a pretty damn good day. The PR is just a bonus.
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