Chip Time: 2:01:21
Watch Time: 2:01:25
Pace: 9:15 min/mi
Comments: Once again, back to Fort Worth for The Cowtown. This is my sixth time to do this race so I guess it's my base event now.
Conditions this year were pretty nice. The weather wasn't overly cold to start and didn't get too hot by the end. The humidity made the warmth noticeable toward the end but that was when the wind started picking up so I had bigger issues to deal with.
My plan for this race was to start slow and take it easy the first 5K or so. Then push it a little bit over the middle portion but nothing crazy. The hill at Mile Nine was the target. I wanted enough energy to handle it without getting burnt out completely. After that, just push through the final 5K with whatever was left.
For the most part I stuck to the strategy although I probably should have done the first portion 30 seconds to a minute per mile slower. I handled the hill well enough but there wasn't as much in the tank after that as I had hoped. The last mile-and-a-half were rather unpleasant; something I had hoped to avoid.
Finishing just a hair over two hours was significantly better than I expected (pre-race I was thinking this would be a 2:15-2:20 effort or so). Sub-two hours wasn't my goal but it would have been nice to have picked up that minute-and-a-half somewhere on the course. Oh well.
Now this one is in the books I can start focusing on my next race... a mid-year marathon.
Conditions
Hour: 7:00 a.m
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 56 degrees
Humidity: 87 percent
Wind: 10-15 mph
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Shoes: Brooks Glycerin 17
Injury update: nada