I started off in the pack, and it didn't feel much different than a swim start. Of course, it wasn't rough, but there was a sardine can feeling to it all. Just penned in for about the first mile and a half. That dominated my thinking early on. At the time, I was frustrated because I felt it was holding me back. Later on, I reconsidered, thinking maybe it saved me from some irrational exuberance. The first mile was a 9:25 pace.

About half way through mile 2, things opened up a bit, and I started to settle in. My plan going into the race was to start with a steady first 3 miles and then build from there. I'd never run greater than 6 miles before a several weeks ago, so was worried about falling apart on the back end. As things opened up, so did my pace, which was 8:54 for mile 2.

I really caught my stride in the middle two miles, and besides starting to feel a bit hot (I was wearing 2 shirts because I couldn't find my wife before the start to give her one), I felt good. Steady breathing, strong legs, no side stitch. Nice. Miles 3 and 4 were 8:33 and 8:34 respectively.

Getting into mile 5 there was a slight incline, and I felt myself tiring. My HR, which was around the high 170's and just over 180, started to creep up into the mid 180's. I started to worry I'd bonk. Part of endurance sports I need to work on is the mental side. 50 some minutes is a lot of time to think. I began to see people walking and had to talk myself out of some negative thoughts. I told myself going in that I wouldn't walk (as I did during the run on the Turkey Tri) as my minimum goal, and steeled my resolve somewhat. Mile 5 was my second slowest at 8:56.

Mile 6 and the finish was interesting. I was starting to wear down more and my body wanted to close out a training run. My mind had to remind me that it's supposed to hurt -- it's an f'n race. In retrospect, I had more in the tank here, and was afraid to use it. Got to fix that. At the tail end of mile 6 is a steep, but short, incline. It took a lot out of me. Fortunately, I recovered after a couple hundred feet on top and was able to pick things up down the home stretch. I saw my family at the last turn- which was wonderful. Crossed the tape within a minute of what McMillan's calculator said I would. Final mile was 8:46.

I'd begin the race a bit closer to the front, maybe 1/3 back instead of 2/3's back. I also only need one shirt. I didn't drink during the race, and that was fine given the moderate conditions.

More fundamentally, I just need to train more and gain confidence. It was a good learning experience. I need more of this. I'm sure this will help my Oly in early March- now I know the distance is no biggie at all. I just need to HTFU mentally and get after it training wise.

Just grabbed a drink and found the family, who were playing on a grassy hillside.


Experience, lack of mental toughness, and limited run training.