I slowly ran the course before the race to warm up, threw in a couple of pick ups to get my legs ready to "sprint" 3.1 miles. 5K's are tough, there's no falling into a rhythm or grove or any of those things that actually feel nice. I was shocked that I was not under 20 minutes. I wish I could blame it on feeling lousy or a nagging injury but I can't. I felt pretty good today and a sub 20 was a foregone conclusion with visions of perhaps a very low 19 and just maybe an 18:59 as an unexpected shocker (those pretty much never happen in this sport but I thought I was strong enough that there was a glimmer of hope). I blame all those down hill summertime 5K's where I put up a few 18 and a half and 19 minute 5K's. I was excited to test my true speed and did not fulfill my minimum expectation. Oh well, a few years ago I never would have thought that I'd be here complaining about a 20 minute 5K. I guess that's what keeps us coming back, hopefully stronger every year. So, first mile 6:18. I knew sub 19 had to be 6:06 so I'm thinking if I can't speed up I'm looking at 19:15, which would be great, actually anything in the 19's and I'm happy. At the end of this mile I'm feeling great. I even threw in a minor burst as I approached the mile marker to launch myself into the second mile, I'm rockin and rollin! Mile two ... 6:27 ... ruh-roh!! I'm giving it all I've got and I ain't got more to give, I thought I felt it slipping but you never know for sure until you look at your watch when you hit the mile marker. Okay, all I can do now is keep pounding as hard as I can. The people in front of me keep getting smaller, definitely not a motivating sight, in fact, it's a de-motivating sight. I'm pushing and stomping and doing the positive mantra thing but I'm still not flying! In fact, it's feeling like every third mile of every miserable 5K. Third mile ... 6:39 ... you gotta be kidding me. I'm thinking to myself "what kind of weak stick Boston Qualifier are you, a 6:39 ... pffffft that's not even a good mile in a 10K) ... now I'm approaching the clock and I see the 19 and I also see the :58 go to :59 and I'm still a few steps away from crossing the line. I can't believe what I'm seeing. And I love this sport? What the heck? Can't wait for the 10K!
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