Monticello Riverfest 5k - July 12, 2008

I ran my very first 5k this morning and just like my first 10k last month I was petrified about the pace.  This will likely be my shortest road racing distance and therefore my fastest race pace.  I have been dealing with a left achilles injury.  Nothing serious but it is very tight until I loosen up.  Made sure I warmed up thoroughly for this one.  I went into this race with a goal to run under 20 minutes.

It was a beautiful day.  The course was an out and back course which I later found out is not my favorite kind of race.  The sharp 180 degree turn at the far end slows you down momentarily and then you immediately need to push hard to get back into rhythm and pace.  Anyway, my heart was racing (over 110bpm) before the gun went off.

I ran a 6:23 first mile and was breathing heavily (gasping may be a better word).  On the way back I tried to maintain my form and just keep pushing.  as I hit the final straightaway I glanced at my Garmin several times and realized I was either going to just make my goal or just miss it.  I crossed the finish line in a time of 19:57 beating my goal by just 3 seconds!  My overall race pace was 6:25 so I successfully maintained my pace throughout the race.  I finished 21st overall among 299 runners and 2nd in my age group of 8 men.  This will be my only 5k for the year, but it was exciting!

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