I wish I was running the Eugene Marathon tomorrow but after having ab issues in March I had to settle for the 5K. I drove down last night and watched the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field--there were some impressive races. 5 miles this morning to warm up. I attempted to familiarize myself with the course but got a bit lost. Oh well. The gun went off and I jumped out to the lead with about 6 others behind me. The first quarter mile was a gradual incline, next quarter was flat, followed by a steep climb and drop; all this in the first mile. From there it was through Skinner Butte Park and relatively flat the rest of the way. I kept the lead until just beyond the 2 mile mark but was passed by both the 2nd and 3rd place runners at the 12:30 mark. I hung with them for a bit and just tried to keep contact with a hope they'd falter. They didn't. :) That put me in 3rd place and I stayed there until the finish. I was VERY surprised to see the clock still reading 15:## as I approached the finish-line. I've never ran a sub-16 5k and given my limited training during February and March, I'm more than happy with my time. It's hard to be disappointed in a PR, especially on a certified, loop course. 6 miles to cool down as I waited for awards. I looped around Eugene by first running to the U of O campus and Hayward Field and then jumped over the river and ran on Pre's trail to Autzen Stadium and eventually my car. I love running in Eugene. Type A (237) Lunar (147)
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