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Lowes Creek Varsity-Alumni Time Trial

August 30, 2008 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: Hot as FUCK

Comments:
Finch and I got to Lowes around 1115 and it was already quite hot and very sunny. We warmed up with Mike Mack and it didn't take long to get a full sweat rolling, which was a bad sign.

There was a boatload of guys vying for roster spots this year, which was good to see. At the gun EVERYONE just bolted out hard, which wasn't a terrible idea since the course quickly narrowed once we made our way from the parking lot onto the trail. The county clearly has skimped on the mowing because they've lost 3-4 feet of trail width by not mowing all the way.

I got out pretty fast but was wayyy behind. I got one good look ahead on the straighaway at a half mile or so to see Finch wayyy ahead with Chris Wirtz right on his ass, which was interesting. I spent the first mile trying to stay relaxed and weave my way through the crowds, keeping close tabs on Breitbach, who I know would race smart.

Hit the mile in 5:17, which wasn't bad at all, but I was already overheated and was having trouble breathing the thick air. At 2K we worked our way through the parking lot to the otherside and I already knew I was in trouble.

Miles 2 to the finish were just horrible. I was baking and, especially in those middle sections, I actually felt like *I* was going to either vomit or pass out, which are extremely rare sensations for me. So I just slowed wayyy down, without reservation.

It sucked. I felt -- and was -- slow as fuck. My 3rd mile was a goddamn 6:15, but oddly enough, no one passed me. In the 4th mile, as we hit a nice patch of shade, I had finally cooled a bit so I picked the pace up and passed a couple people. In the last 400m I made zero effort to kick -- why? I was running slower than AT pace by then. Crossed the line in a pathetic 23:40. Yikes.

I drank a ton of water before cooling down on the mostly shaded double-track with Finch, Mack, Nate Hall, and even Sturny, who showed for the festivities! I felt fine on the cooldown; not all that tired, really. Just extremely disappointed.

Finch won, of course, but I felt a bit better when I heard how much he, too, had slowed. Wirtz was 2nd, and Breitbach was 4th, having run a tremendously smart race.

After the cooldown and some milling around, Finch and I showered at McPhee then went golfing. I absolutely sucked at golf today, making it a colossal waste of $54 (as if it weren't, even if I did golf well). We all ate at Mogie's afterwards then drank some YUMMY BEER at Kevo's before going out. Pretty fun night, overall.

I will chalk up today's shitty performance to heat/lack of acclimatization, but I'm also not very fit, strong, or...any other attribute associated with strong running right now. :|