A Quick Five

Last night I went to the track at the IM Building to do a five-mile run. That's 40 mind-numbingly dull laps (*yawn*). I never really felt good until about the 25 lap (that's three miles in). If I had been running a 5K, it would have been a bad one. But the last 15 laps I felt much strong, and the running was easy.
The only concern I had was that my lungs were a bit raspy and wet at the end. Hopefully that's just some residual fluid getting cleared out, and not the start of something new.

First Night 5K, 2007 Edition

This was not a good run for me. Soon after we started, like within the first 300 meters, the calf muscle strain I had suffered on Christmas Day, which I had thought was completely fine, came back. This in spite of the stretching and warm-ups I had done before the race.

I thought it might relax a little once I topped the first hill, but it really didn't at all until I was almost 2 miles in. I struggled along for those first two miles as best I could. Even without the leg issue, I just didn't feel like I had the chi I usually do. I was really surprised when I passed the two-mile mark at 15:20. I coughed up a blob of phlegm on the short hill thereafter, and finally felt able to open up a little and run.

After I crested the little hill, I was suddenly passing people left and right. I couldn't even tell you how many I passed in the last mile. I got a good, hard sprint to the finish, too. My official time was 23:16, which is more than a minute slower than last year. Honestly, I couldn't believe I was that fast.

My goal for the coming year is to get under 22 minutes for a 5K. It will take some work, but I think it's easily doable.