'2006' Resolution 5K

I went into the race determined to break a 7-minute-mile pace. This is a good course for it: much of it is flat, with just two uphills. The longer of the two is within the first mile. The second is after the second mile, but it is short.

I started at the front, so I could let the real speedsters pace me to start. That strategy worked well for about the first quarter mile. But I felt terrible going up that first hill. Here's a lesson: Indian food before a race is not a good idea. I could feel my lunch weighing down my guts, and people started passing me. But I pressed on as best I could, and finally felt my stride coming back near the one-mile mark. I managed to pass a few people going down a hill, but I tightened up again going up the second hill.

Most of the last mile of this race is flat or downhill, so after that second climb I tried to put the hammer down. I was able to pass some more poeple, but as I reached the home stretch, I could not speed up any more. I didn't feel like I was running my fastest, but I just had nothing more to put into it.

I finished in 22:16, good for 86th place. My pace was 7:11, but I know I ran it as hard as I could, so I'm not too disappointed. You can get the complete race results here.