Goal was sub-35. Haven't done much speed work over the winter due to a series of injuries, but had a decent interval session a week-and-a-half ago that indicated I could probably do around 7:00 mile pace. Lined up at the front and was cruising along with the leaders for a couple hundred meters...5:30/pace...zoiks! Gradually settled down to around 6:50 and hit the first mile at 6:40.

Rest of the race was about trying to stay close enough to 7:00/mi pace not to burn the :20 reserve I built in mile one. Per my Garmin 205, I was generally holding between 6:48 and 7:25. Bit of a headwind in mile two, but that meant that most of mile three would have a following wind...that ended up helping shave some time off that mile and the first part of mile 4.

The first place woman passed me at about 3.5 miles. I decided I'd try to hang with her as best I could. Worked pretty well...never lost contact and was closing on her near the end when she put on a Roadrunner/Coyote burst the last 200 meters and dropped me.

Last mile was mostly about picking off anyone I could and holding off anyone who looked around my age. Finished in 34:33 per Garmin...6:59/mile pace. Cool.

Nothing...other than maybe not do a 113 mile bike ride the day before.

Definitely left pretty much everything on the course. Liz was at the finish...freezing in the very unseasonable temps. Walked around and re-hydrated and ate a banana. Told her she ought to walk on home and warm up while I hung around for the results (figured I was probably in the mix for an AG medal, since I looked to be in the top 30 or so overall). Stretched while I waited.

...And waited. And waited. Finally, they announced from the stage that the results weren't going to be available to be posted and would be online later. Medals would be mailed. Oh, well. Ran 1.75 miles home (at cautious, IM-run, pace).

Much as I suspected, online results had me 3rd in AG, 37th overall (and 4 seconds behind the women's winner...I was the last guy she "chicked".)


I was pleased with this, actually. I'm exactly one month from my 50th birthday and haven't PRed a distance in awhile. Been feeling uncertain if that's from slowing down with age or the impact of a number of injuries over the past 9 months. Healthier than I've been in months right now, but I really wasn't sure I'd recovered enough speed with all the emphasis on going long keyed to IM St George. Getting a sub-7:00 result--and a podium finish--after the epic bike ride was really reassuring.


Lots of disorganization this year...very different from last year (which was my first time doing this local, but fairly large, race). New timing company, who clearly didn't have their act together. Last second change from 10K to 8K (and change of 5K from announced new course back to last year's course) wasn't handled well. This is for a worthy charity, though, and the course was flat, flat, flat (wouldn't have been if they'd run the new 5K/10K as announced).