May22nd, 2010

Bedford Rotary 12k. 3rd leg of the USATF-NE Champ Series.
I went in having gotten sleep. I went in having taken days off. I went in feeling pretty good.
I also went in on less training than at any point in the last year. I went in having run everything short and fast for the last month.
I went in with all these things in play, and still thought I would do well, or at least erase last year's taste.
I went out, again, at a 5:05, went through 2 in 10:18 and then proceeded to have nothing.
The next 5 miles were a total debacle. I struggled to keep a 5:30 average for most of it and came away with a 40:32 (19 seconds slower than last year) for 7.46 (I had 7.53, but who cares.) I came 29th.
The bright spots are that I was the 3rd oldest guy in the top 30 and that I got the asterisk and that the team came in 4th and beat GBTC to take sole possession of 3rd in the GP.
Still, just a total fucking mess. I got caught by everyone at 4 and felt like garbage. My little experiment with training like I use to (i.e. run fast and when I feel like it) has officially and unquestionably yielded disastrous results. Time to get serious again. Longer, slower, better workouts, no tapers for the little podunk races (and less of those.)
This same thing happened last year in the same way and I came back to have a very good summer and fall. Now I need to use this as a kick in the ass. I don't want to be that middle of the pack guy again, not until I'm forced to be by my own mortality.