Warmed up by running from home to the starting line (2.8 miles). Threw in a few strides and didn't feel great. I wasn't expecting a lot from today's race but know that once you lace up the shoes, there are no excuses and you have to give it everything that you have for that day. At the start of the race, the usual young rabbits darted out and I hung back with the guy who won the last 5K that I ran (he runs a 17:00 5K but seems to start out slow). After ½ mile the rabbits backed off and everyone settled into their positions (I was in fifth place). I felt really comfortable and didn’t feel like I was really pushing too hard. Ran the first mile, which was slightly downhill, in 5:49. At the 1 mile marker, I moved along side the fourth place runner. We ran side by side for a while. I kept trying to break away from him but he kept with me. I was finally able to shake him at the turn around point. I then had my sights on the third place runner. I would move closer then he would move up a little. We played this game for a few minutes then I was finally able to catch him at about the 2 mile marker. Second mile split was 6:13 – mostly flat with a short section with a slight incline. I was now in 3rd place and the 2nd place runner was about 1 minute ahead. I knew that I wasn’t going to catch him so I just concentrated on holding on to third place. I still felt alright but I really didn’t have the desire to push the pace. I’m not sure why I didn’t want to push harder. I started having the usual waves of nausea with ½ mile to go. Ran the third mile (which was slightly uphill) in 6:11. Cruised through the finish line for a final time of 18:48. I got an unexpected PR by 6 seconds and kept the PR streak alive (6 straight races with a PR). Feel good about the race considering how I felt prior to the race. There is still room for improvement, though. I think that the biggest thing that I have to overcome is allowing others to set my pace. There were a few times where I was maintaining my position with the other runners when I should have been passing them. I also have to overcome the marathoners mentality of trying to conserve energy for the end of the race. Cooled down with 2.8 miles of easy running back home. | 