1:33:19 :: 2nd place

Boy was I glad to be done with that race! I started with a very comfortable 6:44 mile and then settled in to 6:56-6:58 for the next few miles. I felt great through 7 miles and even had a 6:50 mile (mile 6) that still felt very comfortable. The girl that went on to win the race (1:28:08) was still within reach and I was feeling pretty good about being able to start chasing her down. But something changed right around 8 miles and I started running 7:12 pace... it felt like the same effort as the 6:56. I figured I was probably in for a tough time. Sure enough pretty soon the 7:12s were 7:19s then 7:25 for mile for mile 11. I was able to bring it back down to 7:19 for the last 2 miles but it was a struggle. I'm thinking I just didn't have the base to run any faster than this? It's five weeks out until the Beardsley half so I am thinking that I will try to bump my miles up into the mid-60s for the next 2-3 weeks and see how that works. School starts Aug. 11 but I am planning to keep my mileage up this time around. I figure I only need to find an extra hour in each day to be able to continue training (and a little more on weekends). If nothing else, I'll make do with a little less sleep =)