Nice race, shame about the time

What's that line about "not with a bang, but a whimper"? It was a bit like that tonight. I had a great, a fantastic-feeling final Dash & Dine evening 5k on the classic course at Boulder Reservoir, on a beautiful, cool and windless evening, but my time was c**p.

I deliberately started more slowly than normal and picked up the pace all the way through. I felt good and relaxed, passing people steadily, and with enough energy to shout and wave at friends who were also racing. In fact, right up until I rounded the final bend into the finish tunnel and saw the digital clock ticking down, I was totally and utterly convinced I was finally under 19 minutes this year and really on my way "back".

Hah! Not even close. I was so shocked to see 19:40-something in glowing red numerals that I nearly stopped in my tracks. "Luckily" at the time I was involved in a death or glory final sprint with some young whippersnapper, hearing the race commentator say... "And it's young legs versus...er...slightly older legs!" The younger legs, belonging to 15-year-old Caleb Downs, won.

Here I am running a minute slower than last year and still winning the age-group. So maybe it's not just me who's having a slow start to the season. It wasn't that the evening was slow - winner Jeffry Buechler's 16:50 argues otherwise.

And thanks Greg, now I have another super Descente technical shirt, this time a brown one, to go with last week's green one. Abby will be pleased -- I like that one so much I've hardly taken it off.

* Results and news releases are posted on Active.com and the Boulder Road Runners site.

* Dash & Dine website is here.