Lurker wrote:
Showing off? Good lord, is everyone in America entitled to be offended by everything these days?
You don't want someone to beat you by 10 minutes? The train harder or get over it.
I've never been offended by someone beating me thoroughly when I've given it my all. I'd be more offended by someone dogging it and then taking off at the end.
Life isn't as complicated as we try to make it. If you enter a race, race it to the best of your ability. No one will have a reasonable basis for being offended. And if they decide to be unreasonable and take offense, who cares.
Keep it real, kee it simple.
+1,
give it a 100% and never let down. You'd look like a fool if someone out kicks you after you relaxed for 10 miles. Try explaining to the winner you were going easy the whole time, then you'd look like a sore loser. Always give it your all at a race is what I'd suggest. No sense in trying to build bad habits by sandbagging the competition only to be spanked some day by someone else doing the same thing.