Dave's Addiction

Started off quick on the warm day and got right to the front. I stayed that way all the way up the backstretch which is a small series of uphills, total about 40 feet of gain.Then the K-man smoked me in the wind tunnel, a nasty 3/16 piece where you gain 10 feet into 15 MPH of wind. I stayed 6 seconds behind him for the next mile into the finish. About 10 seconds slower than two years ago after adjusting for distance. But second isn't too bad when you beat the rest of the track team :)

It was hot hot hot today, 78 at the start. I lost about 5 seconds per mile except the last one where I died and got 25 seconds slower. Splits were 4:55 (in front for a tiny time), 5:21 (got passed by Connor here, finally got to meet him for a 4 seconds), 5:48 (small uphill), 5:38 (back to my old self on South Temple), 5:51 (uh oh), 6:14 (dying on the uphill). Smoked the masters and would have gotten the 30 year old divisions too except that I couldn't quite catch Iron Wolf at the end. Too cool if that is his real name :)

The buses were kind of slow getting up the canyon for this one, so things were a little delayed. As we milled around at the starting line, somebody blew an airhorn which apparently was the go signal and after a few seconds we all figured it out and went. The first 1.5 miles of this one are brutal downhill, I almost broke my mile record without even trying (missed it by 1 second) at 4:35. Second mile hits flatter stuff, got a 5:02. I was passed in the second mile by Skylar but he seemed a little irregular, like he was trying to find a pace. I told Justin as he passed me like a metronome in mile 4 to go get him :) Things were pretty warm but I managed to keep them in sight until mile 7, then I was just getting way too hot and the legs felt dead from the first two miles. I think I have to keep it over 4:50 to go the distance.

Anyway after mile 7 I just decided to relax because it was so hot and there was nobody even close. I walked all the aid stations and enjoyed the run through the neighborhoods, then suddenly the high school was right there and I boogied in for third overall. Not the greatest time but I'll be a little more conservative at the start next time.