The Orlando Runners Club hosted the Race Into Summer 5K at J Blanchard Park which is a short distance from my hotel so I decided to join them today. The course was an out-and-back on the concrete Little Econ Greenway starting near the YMCA and heading west. The event seemed well organized and the race shirt is even a tech shirt so it was worth showing up at 0730.
The humidity was oppressive and I was drenched from my 1.00 mile warm up jogs. I pushed myself in the first mile and managed about 09:40 for the first 0.75 mi before dropping off to finish at 10:06. After that I just tried to find a comfortable pace to finish the race, clocking the second mile at 11:21 and third mile at 11:57. The last mile seemed dreadful as I was running directly into the sun and the heat just seemed to be baking my face. I am not at all accustomed to the humidity so it felt like I was boiling in my own juices.
So, overall I am happy with the results. I have been focusing on adding distance and duration to my runs rather than watching my pace. Once the heat of the summer has passed and I have my mileage goals met perhaps I will look at doing more to improve my pace. But, I am okay with being a tortoise as long as I am a healthier tortoise.
Location: Blanchard Park, Orlando, FL
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