As the gun went off, I tried to find a comfortable pace for the first mile. It was challenging with the typical jockeying for position on a crowded course, so the pace was erratic. The mile one marker came and went before things began to thin out.

As the trail began to clear a bit, I tried to establish a solid pace. I decided to go by feel and not check my pace, time, or HR until about mile three. I was starting to get hot, but felt like I was moving pretty well. Trying to keep people I had passed behind me likely made me go a little harder. By the time I was well into the third mile and the halfway point, I felt like I was starting to struggle a bit. I might have gone out a little hard, but was still hanging in there. I saw that my shoelace had come untied and knew I would have to stop to re-tie it. Since I was running pretty well, I decided to hold off until I passed the mile three mark.

I passed the mile three mark and stopped to re-tie my shoe. I saw that my HR had drifted to 175, which is really high - almost my estimated max. I was wearing gloves, so I had a lot of trouble working with the shoelace before continuing. I got the lace tied and continued on, but felt a little overheated and out of breath. I needed to get my HR down before picking up the pace again. I slowed down to a brisk walk to collect myself, and after a minute, started again. At the aid station, I took a cup of water and picked the pace back up. Even with the three breaks during the fourth mile, I still held an average pace of 10:52, which was faster than I had expected to be able to go.

I passed the mile four sign and checked my watch. Unless I completely fell apart, I would be able to finish under 55 minutes (11:00/mile pace) and would likely have some cushion beyond that. Since the last mile is on the same path as the first, I knew that it wouldn't be hilly and I could push a little. I made it over a wash or two without breaking stride and began to find a rhythm again. As I hit the grass field, I could see the finish area and decided not to hesitate. I hit the pavement and glanced down - I was closing on 50 minutes but might be able to finish under that (since my clock paused while I was tying my shoe, I wasn't sure exactly how much my watch differed from the official clock). I entered the chute and saw the official clock - I was getting in under 50 minutes (the course was a little short according to my Garmin). I picked up my medal and a water having run better than expected.

Probably should have paced a little better on miles two and three. I kind of hit a wall on mile four and had some trouble getting past it. Even though I was really happy with my overall time, more consistency from start to finish would have been preferable.

I found J after a few minutes (since I came in sooner than expected, she wasn't expecting to see me), and we headed for the car.


General fitness, weight on hills, went out a little too hard on mile 2


Lost Dutchman runs very good events, on time, and you get a lot for your money. The aid stations are well stocked, there are finisher's medals for all distances, and events run smoothly. They also gave long sleeve tech t-shirts for all participants.