This was a total whim for me, I just wanted to check my progress. I basically showed up and ran.

I started about 4 seconds back, and my quads felt tired within like 30 seconds (since I biked ~60miles yesterday). But, I was like, "whatevs!" and told myself I'd settle in eventually and just keep going.

This race felt totally different for me because usually, I am being passed left and right in the beginning, but I wasn't so much this time...I mean people passed me, but as far as I could tell, I hadn't moved to the back within a few minutes - I'd say there were only 100 people or so ahead of me - and I was right!

Got to mile 1, and thought, "can i pick it up?" the answer was, not especially, but I did a little. I turned a corner at my guess 1.2 miles, and I heard a woman say, "have we passed mile 1 yet?" and I said, "yes, we have." i was pleasantly surprised to find my breathing such that I could speak as if i was sitting down. then she said, "how far back?" and i said, "oh, not too far, maybe 2 minutes." again - a whole sentence without any effort! how exciting. unfortunately, i may have demoralized the woman because i blew by and i never saw her again.

At mile 1.5, I thought, gosh, only halfway? I never felt good through the whole race, though I didn't feel that bad either. I just kept telling myself "lead with your sternum and pick up your feet." and kept going.

At mile 2 I thought, can I pick it up more? Not really, but I could hold. I had been neck and neck with this one woman for most of mile 3, and around 2.9, there began a VERY slight downhill, and I scooted past her. I could hear she was breathing hard, and I was thinking about that Macca Wildflower video how he used the downhill at the end, and how if you're tired, you can't run downhill well. Well, I wasn't too tired and she sounded dead, so I blew by and she had nothing! and at mile 3, I thought, SPRINT TIME!! Passed 2 people in the last 100 yards, and I was goign hard.

I've never gone so hard at the end before - I think I was not fit enough to do so. But this time, I could - and when I rounded the corner to see 26:15 on the clock, I was like, NO WAY!!!! So I picked it up even more, and I'm certain I crossed at 26:31/32. But they have a funny way of timing, there is a woman who looks at your number as you approach, and then clicks a timer when you cross the line, then you hand over the tab on your bib. It seems all very unreliable to me - their clock time for me was 26:35, and that's definitely not so, but whatever.

Anyway, I am delighted - I've shaved 3.5 minutes or so off my 5K times since 9/30/07. Pretty awesome! I doubt I can keep up this level of improvement, but I'll try!

I kinda wish I could go back in time and wear a watch, just to see if that would psych me any differently and how I'd do. But really, not much. Maybe start my sprint faster.

Nothing - had a Colombo peach yogurt, a banana, and a gatorade. Cheered some people, and waited around for Tom, who was volunteering.


This is basically a little community race, adequate but basic everything, but fun, nice course with some water views, and a lot of walkers, run-walkers, and families out for Mother's Day fun.

I'm dubious of the timing mechanism, but otherwise just fine, I'd do it again.