Notes
4 miles easy+ 6 miles @ 5:35-40+ 6 miles @ 5:25-30+ 2 mile push+ 2 mile cool-down. Got a bit windy this morning but it was a cool, sunny start to the day so it wasn't all bad. Had people splitting off at random points during the warm up and we reconfigured just before the start, but no one had a consistent distance. Frank called out the start just before I got to 4. We were in a big pack for the first mile but it was just Brian who was in my range; everyone else was 5 seconds faster so it just looked like I was getting dropped. We settled into a rhythm that felt easy but was ultimately a little quicker than prescribed. Ended up averaging 5:33 for the first 6 miles. The wind was getting worse, but the only place you could feel it was heading south on Spine, and at that pace, it was hardly an issue. I picked it up aggressively at the pace shift, wanting to leapfrog the early sense of security thinking a 10 sec drop wouldn't be too bad. I maintained a more controlled but faster rhythm as I gradually closed the gap on the rest of the guys who were stilling at 5:30's for their entire run. I got a boost of confidence catching up to them and it kept my mind focused. I held my too-fast pace until the last mile but I feel like it's fair to blame the slower split on the wind since I was getting blasted going uphill for that last bit. Avg for the second 6 was 5:22. I started my 2-mile push about 200m from the corner of Jay and Spine so I wasn't expecting to start super quick since I was still going into the wind and uphill, but I wanted to see if I could break 10:00 for this push. I'd gambled on myself in the middle piece and got some momentum, but also left myself a little more exposed to the fatigue. I went to shift and didn't find much. I didn't have the pop I was hoping and opened up in a disappointing 5:06.5. I still thought I had a shot at sub-10:00 but that quickly went away when I was climbing the 63rd St. hill and felt my breathing seize up and my heart rate skyrocket. I got to the top, turned onto Gunbarrel, and ran hard but the spirit could only carry me so far. I fought with as much composure as I could muster while feeling like my chest was going to cave in and got to the turn onto Spine with a projected mile of 5:12. I threw what was left of my energy into a feeble sprint downhill with a breath of wind at my back, envisioning the Central Park finish line near the turn onto Longbow, and ground out a 5:06.2 split to run a 10:12.7. I felt good about today's run. I would've liked to feel easier at some points but for the most part, I feel like I'm walking away, 5 weeks out from the race, like I am on the right track.