Well, here it is, first race back since stress fractures, first time I've ran 6 miles in over two months, first time I've tried to find any kind of speed(not a lot there right now). It was chilly in the 40s and 22mph north wind but fortunately the race was out and back east/west so a crosswind the whole time. Except for the first and last quarter mile it was on soft shale and dirt which definitely eased the impact on my legs so a good choice to try out racing again. It was a small race put on by our friends the Clarks for our Kansas Soldiers who have died and a Gold-Star mother was there handing out the medals and prizes. It was very cool! I warmed up at a nice jog about .75 mile with Karlee then we shivered and stretched a little. The start was a laidback 5-4-3-2-1 and we were off. Four fast dudes took off, I was behind them, and that was that. I ran by myself the entire time. I got to see many familar and friendly faces at the turnaround and after. I dropped the first mile at 6:50 then eased back, got a little lazy in the middle miles, and picked it back up at the end. I never felt truly miserable but I could tell my legs have gone soft from no impact and I need a base. I just told myself to "tempo" and have a good run. So, as far as fitness, it's not as good as I hoped nor as bad as I feared, to this is a good starting point and things will fall back into place from here. First things first, gotta build my base back up and worry about speed later on. I hear it comes back relatively quick so I hope it's true. I had a great time!
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