Last night I was checking out the local race calendar for upcoming races and saw a close 5k and decided to do it. I have not really prepared for a 5k but thought it would be a good test of fitness. It was a pretty nice morning around 30 with some light wind. I did a 2 mile warmup and my legs felt kind of flat. I am not sure if it was from not running the last couple of days but just didn't feel sharp. Going into the race I thought I might have a chance to break 19 minutes but was sure what to expect since it has been over a year since I ran a 5k.
I got off to a good start and actually had to back off some because I didn't want to burn out. I settled into what I thought was a good pace and felt pretty good the first mile. I came through the first mile in 6:03 which was a little faster than planned but no problems. The second mile went pretty good as well but was starting to feel the energy run out of my legs. I managed to hold it together pretty good and came through mile two in 6:12. The third mile I could see another master running about 10 seconds in front of me and I focused on him but he was keeping a strong pace and I never did catch him but it helped me push the last mile. I managed a 6:15 and then rounded a corner where I could see the finish. When I looked at the clock I could tell it would be close to 19 minutes so I gave it the best kick I could and just barely got in under 19 at 18:59.
A guess all in all it was a pretty good pace. This is a PR by 54 seconds so from that point of view it was a good race but I haven't ran a 5k in over a year and I knew I was in much better shape than last year. I think with some focused training I can bring this down some more. It was fun to run a shorter race and now want to try a 10k and see how that goes.
I did a three mile warm down after the race. | 