1st Snowstorm Run! Sat. Dec. 2

Asakiyume drove us down for this first of the Forest Park runs, and there was a solid turnout considering how early in the "winter" season it is. There was just nice time to stretch and jog a little bit, then we were lining up--chilly wind, bright sunshine, mild-ish: I went with hat and gloves, shorts and my fleece over a sleeveless T. A few people said they were planning to turtle (including my sorta rival Doug G.), but I was still surprised to find only a handful ahead of me on the uphill. Pace was so slow I went off anyway, and so there were only two ahead of me for a bit. At mile one, orange-shirted older guy closed up and overtook. We tussled a bit, with me keeping the lead but not getting away. Then Joe, all in black, came through at about three miles, and he pulled right away, and orange went with him. I kept them in sights and waited for the next wave. It never came, and while I tried pretty hard, I couldn't make up any time. Anywhere I went for it, so did orange man. Alas. I thought maybe I could get to sub-41 or even close to 40 mins, but no joy. Still, the pace was pretty good, and there'll be more pushers and pullers next time, I think. Here's how it ended up:

Time: 41:14
Speed: 9.2 mph
Distance: 6:34 miles (per my digivice: officially a 10K/6.2 miles)

Comment: it was great to have asakiyume's company at the start and finish, and to get 5th place was pretty neat. Maybe in January I'll get a bit more training in and try for that sub-41 again. This time I'll just be thankful for getting a 6:00 on Mile 2 and 6:07 on Mile 6. Yosh!