I wanted to to go under 22:00 if possible. I haven't been running much because of ongoing knee issues. Figured I might have enough of a conditioning base to run near LT over 5K. That's what I did basically (Avg HR 168, Max 180), but it felt a bit worse than I would have liked. Some acid in my gut at the 1.5 mi mark forced me to back off from the pace I'd established out of the start. I'm pleased by the way I regathered myself and dug in again for a sprint finish. Unseasonably warm at the beach today. Hot, dry Santa Ana conditions.

Probably should have taken the first mile a bit easier. Was frustrated by the pack in the early going and busted out to find some space. Maybe just go with the flow next time and save a bit more for the second half. I let about 5 or 6 runners go past me after the turn-around and only managed to reel one of those back in.

Walked back to look for friends. Hydrated and ate some energy bars at the expo.


Chronic knee injury has significantly reduced my training this spring. I had an MRI on Friday, which, I hope, will point the way to recovery.


Second time around for the organizers of this race. Good decision to start the 5K and 10K separately. Much better set up for the expo, too, and a high quality cool-max shirt (thanks, Nike).