Testing speed at the summer series 2 miler

My injury and the weather collaborated to ensure that I didn't miss a Summer Series Free for All race this year. Since I went out with a bang finishing first female at the last summer series, and came back at the next summer series a month later, I didn't miss any of these free 2 mile races. There would have been one sandwiched in the middle, but it was cancelled for rain.
I obviously wasn't going to be racing this one. I just got back from injury, and a casual 2 miler while out of shape isn't the way I want to re-injure myself! I talked to Jimi, who did my acupuncture, and we discussed a fast-ish mile to see how I felt, then dialing back for the next mile. That would allow me to still run the race without attempting two fast miles just a few days in to comeback.

I wanted to be at the race because the Powermilers were sponsors (we provided food), so this sounded like a good option. I drove over to City Park straight after work, and it jogged through stifling humidity to the start. It wasn't a terribly hot night, just really humid after an afternoon of hot summer rains.

I ran into a couple of the guys during my warmup, and they cheerfully informed me that there was a 100 meter stretch of ankle deep water near the end of the course. Great! It seems that drenching new shoes is what I do at these races (last race I stepped in a puddle in my new Musha flats; this race, I wore my new New Balance 1400s). I shrugged and lined up - I'd done about a mile and a half warm up, no strides or anything. I did get closer to the front this time, and the start wasn't as terribly crowded as the last race. I was clicking along nicely, felt fine, but my half a mile, I knew that my effort was too great for the pace I was running. I began to feel like I was struggling as I drew close to mile one, and my breathing was labored. I hit mile one at 6:13 and began dialing back. Behind me, a friend kept shouting, "Pick it up! Catch yellow shirt! High schoolers come back!" but I was too winded to explain to him that I was running mile two easy. The truth is, if I'd felt great, I probably would have tried to race this thing, but since I could barely breath, I wasn't tempted at all.

Basically walking. What am I doing?! 

I practically walked across the finish line with a Garmin 12:56, and after lamenting my lost fitness for a while, joined the guys for some fried rice courtesy of the Powermiler track club!