Two pilsners. Then a 10K PR.
The team run was rad.
I finished in 39:58, a 6:26 pace. It was the fastest 10K I had run since around 2002.
That would have been a good night by itself. I had also run four miles that morning and consumed the two beers about thirty-five minutes before the team run.
Naturally, I wondered whether beer should become part of the race plan for DC.
It should not.
The real reason for the improvement was less exciting. I had been following structured workouts for about a month. Running with North Brooklyn Runners gave me faster people to chase and a reason to show up when the plan called for work.
One teammate was moving quickly. I went with him.
That is one of the best parts of a team. Somebody else can turn an ordinary Thursday into the fastest night you have had in years.
The result landed at the right moment. I had spent the summer managing a back problem, traveling, and trying to rebuild speed without losing triathlon fitness. West Point showed the swim was improving. This run showed there was more speed in my legs too.
Nation's Triathlon was the following week. That was the race I had marked as important. A sub-forty 10K in training made me feel ready to see what I could do after the bike.
I sent the result to my coaches and finally gave them some credit. They had been writing the workouts. I had been doing them, occasionally with questionable hydration choices.
I was fired up to race.