Crazy race again! Why so fast!?! It's conference, people! Still, pretty happy with the meet all in all, even with some disappointments. So, the plan in this one was to take it out at 40-41 and hold that as long as it could then go with the race. Went that way again, like the 5k. I took it out at 37 (due to the hugeness of the heat) and got our pace settled at 40s, then at about 8 laps to go, a few girls started making a move and I didn't really want to go with it. (My legs were just a bit thrashed from yesterday.) Still, I went with it to the greater extent, just sitting on some people's shoulders as I stuck on the lead pack. With about 5 to go they really started hammering it out and I didn't feel like I had it in my legs to go with them. Still, with Kim passing me up and Alex too, I just wanted to keep within shooting range of the leaders, hoping my kick wouldn't fail me. So, I drifted off a bit but with 2 laps to go I started accelerating and on that bell lap I gave it all I had to pass up the pack. I got past all the girls except Hannah from Idaho whose seed time was 4 seconds faster than mine. As I got up to her with about 50 to go she realized I was out-kicking her butt and got up and went. She's a miler. I was doomed. Still, I nearly had her and she only beat me by a second! Time of 9:54 was 7 seconds off my PR from Seattle (also a sea level type) and on tired legs, so wow. Just wow. Those races went a whole lot faster than I was expecting, that's for sure. Our team ended up getting second to Louisiana Tech by ONE MEASLY POINT!!!! Such a bummer! Lots of shoulda/coulda/woulda occured, but that's how it went down. Sad day. Now that indoor's over, I'm super stoked for outdoor and the STEEPLECHASE! My hurdling has been getting lots better and I'm finally fast again, so I'm ready to tear it up out there! Woo! |