I had a fun warmup in the drizzling rain, which eventually cleared. I was not too excited to be running on wet brick, but figured I'd only have to worry about it for the first quarter mile or so. This event had a ton of runners from our run group: Joe, Quint, Drew, and a surprise entry with Wendy and Sean. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him. I was very excited for him to have the opportunity to be racing again even if he is still recovering a bit, I know he missed competing. The start line looked quite formidable for a local 5k, and the course is generally short by about 0.05 or 0.06, so I knew it would be fast. I knew Drew would be absolutely ready to rock, but was interested to see if anyone else would be there. I shouldn't have been surprised, but Sean G. ran out to a quick lead and a small group of 8 or so of us followed. When the dust settled at about mile 1, there were only about 4 of us remaining. My watch was being funky because of the tall buildings, and although I was hoping for 5:14 per mile, I decided to just run by feel. Fortunately Drew took charge by mile 2, and although I never looked back, I felt the other 2 runners drop well off by then. Drew was an incredible help from this point forward. I just focused on his pace, my breathing, and on my form. Without him, I don't think I would have achieved any improvements today in my 5k running, so I was more than thankful. With about a half mile to go, I felt pretty good, but the gap had widened considerably to about 11-12 seconds. I had a fleeting though about making a hard push, but fortunately thought better of it. I just tried to maintain the distance, my focus and form. Although I had dreams of closing the gap, I definitely didn't have any extra speed in me despite feeling alright. It really was an odd feeling. The end was a whirlwind. I was very happy for Drew and myself, and then seeing Quint and Sean finish in the top 6 was pretty exciting and put me over the top for a bit. I had a flashing moment where I hoped we'd all eventually be pushing each other at full speed to get better. I never was on a running team, but it evidently causes these flashes and/or seizures. Who knew? Lots of fun- now if only it was a certified course... Race notes: almost got beat down by a large man who I had apparently walked backed into. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. Also, tried to pick up Drew's award to give to him as well, but they lady I think though I was going to steal it. As a white, affluent male, this is a normal expectation, so I'm used to it. We're all thieves up to debauchery. | 