Cave Hill Classic - Sat. April 18

This is way earlier than it was last year, but couldn't miss it (so I missed the Push 5K, as it was today too). Got there pretty late, on a gorgeous warm spring morning, registered and headed out for a stretch -- saw Ivan, and after a mile and a half loop got back to chat. Seemed like a smaller field today: decided to take the downhill start very steadily, and when we set off after the usual prayer (no conch this year, just a drum), stuck to it, with Ivan alongside. Once we hit the flat, with a large pack ahead, and the leaders off in front of them, started to move up a bit, still cautiously. Five miles isn't long, but that ending (1.5 miles up hill all the way) is a killer. Two mile mark came up in just over 13 minutes -- I had no signal for the GPS, probably because of the clouds as well as the location, so was using it as a stopwatch. Mile three is uphill and downhill, and it took another seven minutes, then it's flat for half a mile before we hit the climb. Mile four took more like seven and a half, and the hill was hitting me. Noone had closed on me, and I wasn't making much progress catching the guy ahead--he had 30 seconds on me, and I don't know if I closed much by the end (no results posted yet). The hill was even tougher than I remembered, probably because I had no duel to distract me and I've not been getting out these past two weeks. Ouf. I felt miserable on the last bit of the climb, but after the end, I was fine. Ivan came in soon after, and then (there being no BBQ this year), we headed off. He had work to do, but I wanted to run some more, so went down for another 2.6 on a dirt road (left at Hemenway instead of right).
Here's the results from my GPS timer:

Time: 35:51
Distance: 5 miles
Pace/Speed: 7:10s/ 8.36 mph

Comments: it sure felt like hard work at the end, but I don't think I faded too badly. It may even be a tad faster than last year (35:57), but I'll wait for the official results on that.