Well, I wasn't sure how race would go considering I haven't ran much since the 24hr last month and the last tempo session I did was back in January. But, was able to cover the certified Dogwood Azalea course in 17:04, improving my time from last year by almost 30seconds. Not a personal best on the course, but enough for the victory. The plan going into the race was to get in behind the main group and let them block the wind and try and make a move between 1.5-2 miles into the course. However, when the race began everyone must have had the same plan, because we were all looking around to see who would break the wind and set the pace. So, after about a 1/4 mile I decided to change strategies and to put a little distance between me and the pack. I came through the mile in 5:16, again had planned on 5:30, so I knew the 2nd mile would suck. It did, 5:43, but I still had the lead and felt comfortable. During the final stretch I tried to pick the pace back up a little and covered the final 1.1 miles in 6:05. It was a beautiful day, little windy, but a great day for the 220+ participants in this years event. Wayne always puts on a great event and the city looked incredible with all the blooming azaleas.
