Daniel's 5k

Run: 3.1 miles in :20:11 @ 9:30 a.m.

Weather Report: Cloudy, 35°F, 57% Humidity, Winds: From ENE @ 9 mph; feels like 28°F.

Pre-Race Observations: Another weekend is upon me, which means another small 5k to compete in, this one, however, I will be going solo--no running partners (Greg is sitting this one out in order to go to Boy Scouts) and no "spectators" (my kids are at their mother's and Anne will be staying home). The Daniel's 5k is a (presumably) small race run at another of the local suburban schools (this time on the West side of River City) and is a benefit in memory of a former district student who passed away last year, as well as for their sibling. The run's Mission Statement tells us:

Daniel’s 5K is a fundraising event that will raise money for the Hunt of a Lifetime charity, Benefit for kids, and the Golisano Childrens Hospital in memory of Daniel Myslivecek , a former student at Churchville-Chili senior high school who passed away on July 11th, 2006 after battling melanoma for almost three years. This race will also raise money for Abigal Myslivecek, a student a Fairbanks road elementary school who has been diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. Abigal is the Myslivecek's youngest daughter.

I am feeling a little (internal) pressure to perform at a little higher rate than last week, which although wonderful for two reasons: first, I was able to support Greg in running his first 5k and secondly, it was nice to run competitively again for the first time in five weeks, my finishing time was nearly nine minutes slower than my own PR. I am hoping to finish the race in :20:00 minutes, which may be shooting too high for so soon and with such little training, but I am confident it can be achieved if I run very purposefully.

Post-race Observations: A pretty nice result on a very cool day. I was happy when Anne woke up just as I was about to leave for the run, and had decided to come with me to the race. I felt especially, fortunate to have her there, as I did pretty well! While not achieving a PR, I did very nearly reach my goal of hitting 20 minutes, by posting a :20:11 and placing thirtieth in a filed of nearly three-hundred. Like many runs-with-a-purpose, there were quite of few local high school athletes in attendance, most of whom ran pretty well, and while I would have liked to have placed higher, I was very pleasantly surprised by my age group place (I still think someone made a mistake in keeping track!).

An added bonus today was making a few more acquaintances among the local running community and having an overall very enjoyable morning, despite the cool breeze and (seemingly) falling temperatures.


Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!