2010 Fort Worth Labor Day 15K Run

My time was 1:05:45 for the 15k, an official pace of 7:01 min/mile, though my Garmin read the course at 9.41 miles (and a pace of 6:59 min/mile).

I ran this same race last year and compared my times.

Mile---2010.........2009
1 - -----6:52..........7:30
2 -------6:50......... 7:11
3 -------7:01......... 7:12
4 -------7:01......... 7:07
5 -------7:11......... 7:16
6 -------7:06........ 7:08
7 -------7:15......... 7:29
8 -------6:58........ 7:05
9 -------6:56........ 7:12
.4 -------2:31........ 2:38

A few observations...

1) On the Saturday before this race in 2009, I ran 24 miles. This past Saturday, I ran 16.
2) In 2009, I was averaging about 55 miles per week in the 18 week period of training before the Portland Marathon.
3) I've averaged 45 miles per week in in training this year leading up to the Chicago Marathon.
Is less more?
*For this race, I decided to hang out around 7:00 min/mile pace and see how long I could hold it. As you can see, the first two miles, I was ahead of the pace. Miles 3 and 4 I intentionally dialed it back. Miles 5, 6, and 7 - the middle miles - I kind of lost my focus mentally.
*Probably had something to do with being passed by a guy pushing a baby stroller. Seriously. From behind me I could hear this baby crying or cooing or whatever, and I thought it was somebody on a bike, so I veered off to the side so he could pass (OK, first of all, what would a bike be doing on our race course, right?) - well, it wasn't a bike. It was a guy pushing his kid in a stroller, and he was moving.
*I finally started feeling good again around the end of Mile 7 and put together some nice splits for the last two miles. Weird. Its like I didnt get "warm" until the last two miles of the race, and by then, the race was over. I sucked it up and poured everything I had on the coals the final half mile or so and almost caught up with the baby stroller guy, but he nipped me at the finish - and then it took all I had not to throw up everywhere.

This time winds up being a 15K Pr by more than 2 minutes.