And now for something completely different...I ran a 5K race this morning. It was the Salus Wisconsin Corporate Challenge, which was held at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee. I had the support of Angie and the kids as they were able to join me. I was part of a 16 person team who participated from my company.
The last time I had run a 5K was in 2009 for the Hank Aaron State Trail 5K run. At that time, I posted what was my personal best time of 27:12 over the 5K. So that was my time to beat. Of course, I've been running much more since I did that race, but still, there was a bit of pressure for a personal best.
The weather was great for the race: mostly cloudy and mid-50s. This wasn't a huge race: Only 403 registered runners for the race; there was also a fun walk/run for people, but I don't know how many were registered for that.
One of the guys on our team was shooting for a 23 minute race, so I figured he'd be good to try and follow -- at least for as long as I could. The race started and we were off through the grounds of the Harley Museum and off onto Canal Street and the Hank Aaron State Trail.* I knew I was going faster than I was used to running; for the half-marathons I run around a 9 minute mile, but since this was significantly shorter than the 13.1 miles of a half-marathon, I figured I could suck it up for the 25 minutes. I looked at my watch at following my pacer (my coworker) and I was at a 7:30/mile pace.
Somehow, I managed to hang in that neighborhood for the majority of the race. At about the 3 mile mark, I was passed by another coworker, who was busting his ass. At that point, I threw it into "sprint mode"** and charged after him. I don't think I got that blessed "runner's high" that people talk about, but I had the "runner's oh-sh!t-everything-hurts" going on instead.
Sasha saw me first coming towards the finish line and the family cheered me on as I crossed the line at 23:45, one second behind my coworker, Jason (the one who blazed by me at the three mile mark, at right in the picture below).
One of our teammates finished in the Top Ten for all racers with an awesome 18:20 (5:54/mile) time.
So far, I've had pretty decent luck in the races I've done this year: All have been personal bests for the distance. I'm sure my string of bests will run out soon, but I think I'm doing alright for an old fart.
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* - Not the same part of the trail from the aforementioned 2009 race.
** - I like to refer to it as "I think my heart is going to explode" mode.
