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STEEPLE!

April 24, 2010 (Afternoon)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: Overcast, cool

Comments:
ran 10:10 against good competition today at Shippensburg University, shattering my old PR by 19 seconds! I was really nervous going into it, but at the same time I knew I was in much better shape than I had been a month ago when I last set my PR, so I decided for the first time ever (in this event) to not worry about my lap times and just focus on running a smart race. My college coach generally advised us to go out conservatively in the first mile of the steeple since finding yourself exhausted can be quite costly when there are still a dozen barriers to get over. My splits were approximately as follows (I was clicking my watch every lap or two without looking at it):

46 (for 260m flat)
78
81
81
81
82
79
78

I was extremely pleased with my times, and my decision to focus on how I felt rather than splits, since I clearly had no idea what I was capable of. I was seeded 11th out of 20 runners, and placed 10th. Now the damper on all this is that I'm convinced I could have gone harder in the last 2 1/2 laps. I ran the first few laps great, passing a guys and keeping the front pack within reasonable range. But around a mile into the race another runner who was deliberately biding his time like I was decided to make a move, and I followed him up for about half a lap. Both of us has our sights set on the pack ahead, but I put off seriously trying to catch them until the last lap, rather than riding this guys up to the front. He finished 10:04, passing two other guys who finished 10:06, and 10:08, heart-breakingly close to my 10:10 finish (I was gaining on them too!). So while I'm pleased with my improvement time-wise, there's still a gnawing feeling that if I'd just steeled myself and gone with that guy in the 5th lap, I'd have finished more exhausted and satisfied at the end. Still, I'm pleased with my performance.