This was another night race and the 4th in the 5 race Western Kentucky State Park Running series. By FRB standards this is not a fast series but for me it been really competitive with the top 3 or 4 runners evenly matched. I've haven't won one till tonight but finished second in the other three. The other three races have been at other State Parks and for some reason all have been extremely hilly. This one is flat with the exception of the roller that gets you up on the levee.The temperature was in the 40's with a good wind blowing over the open water but slowed down to almost nothing at race time. We all got warmed up and it looked like the same crowd with a few extras thrown in so I figured I had a shot anyway.So we're off...... I take the lead the first 1/4 mile (which has a couple quick turns and the roller that gets you up on the levee) and settle into my pace. Nathan the 30 year old thats beat me the last couple races passes me and I'm content to settle in behind him and run my race. We hit the first mile with a 6:15 split which was right on target. We made the turn at the half way point right together and I was feeling relaxed and comfortable. After that for some reason Nathan slowed. I wasn't ready to make a move but I wasn't ready to slow down either so I made a surge and put a 10 yard gap between us. There wasn't a big crowd but there was a few people scattered out along the course and I could tell by them that I kept that gap. With about .5 left I made another little surge to try and increase my lead before we hit the little down hill at the end of the levee. With about 1/4 mile to go I was still feeling good so I glance over my shoulder and I had increased the gap to about 20 yards and knew if I didn't slow down I had this one. So I pushed to the finish and took the win by about 7 seconds.... !!!!!!!!!
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