Luke - 15.5

Bristow Trail Run 25k, 1:46:36 (1st place)
First race of the year!  I wasn't sure of my shape going in, but I figured I'd be in the hunt for the win regardless.  The course was three 5.2-mile loops out at Elijah Bristow State Park, about 25 minutes from my place. Earlier in the week I was thinking I'd take the first lap easy, staying in second if it wasn't way too fast or way too slow, then test whoever I was with slightly on the second lap, and then take off on the third lap.  But then I remembered that there were also 1-loop and 2-loop races going on concurrently, and since I'm stupid and egotistical I figured I should try to come through first for those races and then also win my own race.  I didn't recognize any super-fast people on the start line, which bolstered my hubris.
I didn't warm up at all because this was already going to be my longest run of the year, so when a guy took off from the start it was a bit of work keeping up with him.  The footing for the first 100-200m (and the last 100-200m) of each loop was very difficult; it was a wide-open grass field that was just super uneven.  I stayed right behind the fast guy (he was pretty old which made me impressed at his speed and fueled my need to stay up with him) as we hit the trails, which were mostly dirt with not too many hills.  The two of us separated ourselves from the group pretty quickly and I was definitely working to keep on him; the first three miles were 6:24s.  In the fourth mile I took the lead, but the mile was over 6:30 so it was more him slowing down than me speeding up.  He stayed pretty close through 5 miles and I actually had to speed up a bit to avoid being passed as he kicked for the finish.  My split for the first loop was 33:08. I knew I'd be dying for the next ten miles, I just wasn't sure how much.
I definitely slowed down the next couple miles--I think they were a good bit over 7.  There were a couple sections of shared trail and people were finishing up their first loop, and one guy stuck out his hand to give me a high five...but I was carrying a gel in that hand, so I tried to transfer real quick and not leave him hanging and ended up dropping my gel, so I had to stop and go back for it.  I took the gel a half mile later and got some water at a water station and walked a little bit while drinking it, and not long after a guy caught up to me.  He stayed behind me for a half-mile or so before passing me.  I asked him which distance he was doing and he said 10 so I was okay with not sticking on him.  He put 100m on me by ~3.5 miles and I briefly entertained the idea of catching him, but I didn't feel great and he ended up pulling away even more.  The last mile of the loop I felt like I was going really slow, and could hear a guy and a girl behind me, slowly catching me.  Just before the trail spit us out onto the uneven, hard-to-go-fast grass, I heard the girl say that her GPS already said 10.5, and her race was supposed to be 10.4, so I was glad to find out she wasn't in the same race as me...but then she said something like "I don't envy you" to the guy so I was like uuuggghhh he's totally gonna beat me.  The chick passed me a couple seconds before the line as she kicked it in but I still had 25-30m on the guy.  I didn't take a split so I didn't know it at the time, but my time for the second loop was just over 37 minutes--about 4 minutes slower than the first loop.
The guy caught up to me while we were still on the grass, and I said something to him like, "I think you got this one, I'm dying."  We talked a little over the next half-mile or so, and I was able to stick right behind him without totally dying.  At a little past a mile there was a water station and he grabbed a cup and I didn't, so I figured it was as good a time as any to make my move.  I knew if I didn't go right then I'd never be able to shake him, and he'd probably outkick me, so I had to give it everything I had and hope it didn't run out.  He hung close for I don't know how long--every time I'd get to a sharp corner I'd check behind me, and for a mile or two he was always right there, maybe 20m back.  I was going as fast as I could, just telling myself that the second I gave an inch he'd come back on me, and once he caught me it would be over.  My legs were hurting pretty good but I don't think I slowed down until the last mile.  I was still pushing, my legs were just running out of juice.  The last grassy stretch was especially tough, and I felt super slow, but I had put enough distance on him that I wasn't going to be caught.  My last loop took about 36:20 (I thought it would have been even more of a negative split over the second loop) and I ended up winning by a minute forty.  I was running scared the whole last loop so it was nice to get the win--and be done.
I hobbled around after the race and felt a lot better once I'd put on clean clothes.  Had a beer from the new brewery opening up in town, Planktown, and then a bit later had burrito fillings in a bowl (they called it a "naked burrito") from Qdoba.  For the win I got a cool little trophy and a nice-looking medal, and a comped entry to the Bring In Spring 5k, which I was planning on doing anyway (it's sponsored by Ninkasi).