Super fun race today. PR. Picked up Matt at 3:30 and drove up to Tibble Fork. We had to leave early to beat the road closures. Somehow Toni drove up at 5:30...so, maybe it was unnecessary :p 2 mile warm up with Matt on the mineral basin dirt road. We ran into Scott and Spencer post warm up. I knew Scott and Zack were going to start fast but I didn't think they'd go out like they did! Matt and I ran the first 8 together and our first mile was 5:00 and Scott, Zack and Walter were well ahead! Matt, Nate and I ran together down the canyon. Pace was low 5s and felt really solid. We even had some conversation getting to know Nate. It was so fun to run the first bit with Matt again (I don't know how long that'll last, he's making astounding progress!). Just after mile 8 Nate made a strong move and strung the 3 of us out a bit. He powered through the last 5 miles and consistently pulled away. I tired a bit by 9 but was able to hold on with a good last 2 miles. I passed Walter just after 12. He had an amazing race, considering he ran UVM last week! Scott had a great race but didn't quite crack the PR he was hoping for. Zack ran very strong. Splits: (5:00, 5:18, 5:17, 5:06, 5:06, 5:08, 5:14, 5:14, 5:29, 5:29, 5:37, 5:21, 5:27) from the Garmin, which is horribly inaccurate in the canyon. 3 mile cool down on the grass. Couldn't ask for a better day, nor a better group to share it with. The running community is truly unique and inspiring.
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