Her 1999 time, incidentally, was good for a fifth-place finish. The victory for Alexander, though, would have been a faster mark. There were reasons for the slower time, though, the main one being the heat of the day. Alexander, who ran cross country and track at UC Santa Barbara, freely admits that she is better in cooler temperatures, as are most runners. I didn't feel as good as last year.
People run differently in different weather conditions.
I run better in cooler conditions. On this type of run, I usually start off slower and try to push toward the end. I have no idea if I did that today. If anything, I think I slowed up because of the heat. I really started to feel it toward the end.