Schenectady Stockade-athon

The Stockade-athon is one of my favorite races. It is very close to home and it is a 15K race. This distance seems to be a good distance to showcase speed and endurance.
So going into this race I had a bet going with a friend, Diane. Diane and I work together at The College of Saint Rose. The bet was that if I won, she would make me bread pudding and if I won, I would make her apple crisp. I am all for friendly wagers, especially when they up the competetive level of the race. This bet seems to have brought out the best in both of us.
The goal was to run in the 58 minute range. 57 minutes would be a bonus.
I had the early lead on Diane and set out with a 6:03 first mile. A bit fast but feeling good.
Mile 2 was a 6:04. Again, feeling good with my competetor in sight.
Mile 3 was 6:06. This was up a slight hill for part of it. Not too bad.
Mile 4 was a 5:58. This was a fast mile because it was downhill.
Mile 5 was 6:15. This was right where I wanted to be. At this point, I had a slight lead on Diane but I knew she wasn't going to give in. Diane had a shot at prize money for coming in top 5 females. I could see the top 5 females grouped together at this point so I knew she was watching, as well.
Mile 6 was 6:41. This was up State street. This is the biggest hill on the course. It's around a half of a mile long. Not too bad. I wanted a 6:45 for this mile so I was happy with this mile.
Mile 7 was 6:30. A bit slow. This was where Diane moved past me. As she went by I told her not to slow down. If she did, I was going to catch her and beat her.
Mile 8 was 6:35. This is the mile that really hurt my chances of winning the bet. Diane moved a good 15 seconds ahead. I could see her but couldn't gain any ground. I could see the bread pudding slipping away! NOOOOO!!
Mile 9 was 6:30. This time was not going to do the job. I needed a 6 minute finish and could not put it together.
THe last .3 miles was 1:51.
Total time: 58:39. Average mmile: 6:18. This was in the range I was looking for but not good enough for the pudding prize. Diane ran 16 seconds faster than I did (58:23). I lost and graciously admitted defeat.
Oh, one more thing. The loser has to present the winner with the dessert during the coaches and athletes meeting; stating why they are presenting the dessert. Ouch.
Next up: Rock and Roll Half Marathon San Antonio, Texas. I can't wait. The goal is 1:24:59.