Well the big race finally came. The weather was cold when the Women's US Championship 10 mile race started (1 hour before the marathon). The roads were wet, but it wasn't raining. The marathon started easy. No one wanted to lead, Logan and I relaxed and began running with Dennis Simonaitis. Then the rain started. Mile 4 or so. I noticed that I was not on the pace that I wanted to run so I left the pack alone to chase down the next two solo runners and the 2nd pack. This took 4-5 miles. I felt good at eleven miles in, so I surged ahead with the leaders of the second pack, including Micheal Wardian. I was feeling good with them, but it was getting colder. Soon I lost feeling in my feet and hamstrings and butt. It became harder to turn over my stride, and I was slowing down by mile mark 20. The last 10k was up and down rolling hills. It was death, a strong headwind, with everyone strung out. It was miserable. At the finish I was just glad to be done. I ran a 41:06 on the last 10k. Ouch. The race was a good learning experience. I believe that I can hit the "A" standard on a day with better weather.
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