Had fun running in the bright sunshine of St George. Only in the 30's during the race but still felt great. Always happy anytime I can so sub-20 on an honest course. Wasn't sure what to expect with this race. I've been doing some speed-work but it's nearly impossible to do anything meaningful during winter with the nasty weather and cold we've been having. And treadmill speed sessions don't seem to quite cut it either. I figured I'd just go out around 6:30 pace, see how it felt, and speed up as much as I could as the race progressed. Mile 1 - 6:24: Just running what felt about right, very slight uphill on this mile but around 6:25 pace felt pretty good. A bit frustrating having to dodge the 1/2 marathon folks who decided to walk the entire way during end of mile 1 and beginning of mile 2. But my frustration causes me to speed up and pass a few folks and start to get back into the feel of race mode since I haven't raced forever. Mile 2 - 6:20: Feeling good on this mile, hit the turn onto the trail and back towards the Dixie Center slightly downhill. Pass a few more folks and become aware of some dude breathing down my neck just a few feet behind me. Mile 3 - 6:30: Not feeling so good anymore but last mile of a 5K isn't supposed to feel good. Still have a guy right on my tail and keep trying to surge to put him away early in the mile since I'm not much of a kicker. At one point I think I've got him beat but the last 1/2 mile I start to fade and he catches up. Still manage to stay ahead until the last .10 of the race when he kicks and just beats me by a second or so. Later I find out I actually beat him by a hair according to chip time so I guess that's some consolation. Pretty happy with the race. A little disappointed how I faded the last 1/2 mile but seems like that happened to me before with 5Ks when I have a low mileage base like the last few months. Looking forward to another 5K in March at the Leopard Run. | 