"This is the last hill."
"Just one more. That is right, now I remember."
"For sure, this is the last one".
That is pretty much my last few miles. I ran that last hill about a dozen times, lying to myself on each.
Winslow is a tough course. In addition to the hills, the middle 5 miles of the race is on country roads with packed dirt and rocks. This year there was no mud, thankfully, but the bright sun made for a little warmer day than last year.
There was certainly more competition this year. The guy who won last year brought several of his fast buddies. I finished in 1:30:55, bettering last year by more than 3 minutes. Yet, I fell from 4th place to 8th place overall. I was still the fastest masters runner by several minutes, though.
This is an encouraging sign for my training. I'm definitely faster than ever. I'm not sure I'm 3 minutes faster, but I am faster. I'm curious what I can do in Wichita on a flat course. I hope the weather is good.
A long run is 17 miles minimum, it says so right there in the rule book. It's just after the warning about running a race in the shirt they give you for that particular race -- bad karma. It's also just before the explanation for why the weekly mileage log must start on Mondays and end on Sundays -- obviously.
Shelly laughed at me. I don't think she understands the importance of rules.
