Ran this "5K" with Paul as a benefit for Common Ground on the USU campus. I will never be able to match the descriptive nature and elegant writing of Paul's race report, maybe the result of too many years writing boring technical scientific papers . My meager readership, if any, should refer to his blog for the whole story. I am not sure why they didn't use the classic USU 5K route, which is not a bad course, but instead they created a labyrinth of confusing twists and turns starting on the USU campus and then going into the Logan cemetary, where we must have made 8 or 9 turns, then back to USU campus. As Paul noted, the race was further enahnced by the addition of bicyclers, most noteworthy the kid who decided the four or five serious runners in the race would be entertained by his weaving in and out and around us. Since I wasn't wearing my CI (cochlear implant) I couldn't hear him as he decided to pass me on the first cemetary turn, running me off the "road" in the process. Fortunately I didn't wipe him out, he figured that out on his own later. I was hoping to run this thing at a sub 6 minute pace but my garmin said 6:06 when I finished. First "race" of the year for me, and I got one of those runner stitches after about 1.5 miles that kind of slowed me down. I was disappointed when I found they cut the course short due to construction as I would have made a push to bring my mile pace down a bit if I had had the extra 0.2 miles (my garmin said it was only 2.85 miles, Paul's said 2.9; maybe I cheated the corners better than him). Good cool down run up Logan Canyon river trail afterwards with Paul, 7:45 overall, I think he was afraid he might have to carry me up the big hill on the way back to campus. Good news is river trail is now snow-free, unlike Tuesday when it had a lot of snow. Well, hopefully Paul won't disown me after this one, I think I will let him suggest our next race... :-)
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