Super excited to get my first FKT!
I have had my eye on this one for awhile now, and chose today because I knew I would have a ride back from my wife who was running in Lincoln. I am glad I checked it before though because the time was lowered significantly just a few weeks ago (nice job Matt, your turn now!).
An early start was crucial because it was cooler and there were hardly any cars out. I had a nice light rain on the warmup and the first few miles, but it did get pretty hot and muggy by the end. I carried two 500ml flasks with electrolyte drink and some gummies that I didn't end up eating. I think I drank half a flask each around 4, 7, 11, and 14. On a hotter day (or later today) that would probably not have been enough, but it was plenty today.
I started out the pacing pretty conservatively to ease into things, and slowly increased the effort throughout. The Grade Adjusted Pace on Strava seems pretty accurate on this, showing a steady progression from 6:30ish to 5:40ish. I am coming back from an ankle twist so I took it easier on the trail section at the end.
I thought finding the turns was going to be a bit trickier, but with the map on my watch and a few mental walkthroughs beforehand to get the street names in my head, it actually was pretty straight forward. I had my phone just in case, but didn't end up needing it.
I know there are lots of guys in the area that can go faster, so I hope this turns into a bigger competition.