this was hard! my legs weren’t into it but i’m happy i was able to make it work.

hits:

• hydration. nailed it!
• fueling. nailed it!
• weather. perfect! (little warm on the way back)
• pre-race diet. nailed it! no tummy troubles, no potty stops.
• spectators! my folks came out to gillson and made my day. much appreciated boost on the way out, much needed boost on the way back.
• nailed my target on the first half: 275W, as planned, in 1:36
• no stops! i have a mental thing about stopping. definitely wanted to stop a couple times but didn’t!
• sub 3:20!!
• power PR — 265W compared to PR of 262W

misses:

• didn’t PR (3:17)
• didn’t get 3:15
• i had a much worse second half than first
• right hamstring came close to cramping a few times
• didn’t sleep much last night or the night before. too excited!
• northwestern closed part of the trail so i had to detour
• this route… never again. WAY too much mental energy required to follow the route. next time i’m sticking to the trail.

once a long time ago i told benji i could’ve done better in a race, and he pushed back and said if that’s true, i would have. i feel the same about today. i’m as fit as i’ve ever been, but the stars aligned for a 3:19. i’m not overjoyed and i’m not pissed — i feel like i earned a 3:19, and that’s an accurate measure of my capabilities now. hell yeah!