Beth El 5k

Weather: Partly Cloudy, 82°F, 30% Humidity, Wind: WSW @ 6 mph; feels like 55°F.
Actual Run: 3.1 miles in :20:15 min. @ 8:15 a.m. + 2.4 leisurely miles to and from the start/finish.
Pace: 6:31 min/mi.
Course: The Beth El 5k course, around Cobbs Hill Park: Start running up Hillside Ave., the turn right and down Winton Rd.; a second right, then up Highland Ave, yet, another right, then down Culver Rd., still another right, then up Norris Drive (which will turns into Hillside Ave.), and finally, (you guessed it!) right into the temple parking lot and the finish line.

Pre-Run Ruminations: Waking up at 6:00 a.m., with the aid of an alarm for the first time in I-don't-know-how-long, the achiness in my legs (and especially the knot in the back of my left thigh) continues, but to what end, I remain unsure. I could avoid running the race this morning, despite my wife's characteristically supportive "you can do it!" prior to drifting into slumber land last evening, or I could just "go for it," worrying less about placing in my age group and time, and more about simply finishing.

At any rate, last year when I ran this race, I came in twenty-second overall with a finsihing time of just over twenty-minutes. I doubt that I will come close to that, especially since the most significant difference between this and last year was that I have just completed a marathon only a week ago, whereas, last year I had only run the leisurely (by comparison) 3.5 mile Chase Corporate Challenge a few days prior. A fair goal for today, if I do indeed participate, is to finish the run at around :25:00 and not exascerbate any tweaks in the process.

Post-Race Reflections: Though the back of my leg still seemed to be knotted after my 1.2 mile jog to the start, I was immediately energized by my fellow athletes who were also out for a nice run. During the race, I ignored any discomfort and plugged ahead for a healthy finish of just over twenty-minutes... a time I would happily claim as my own on a race day on which I felt good! It was nice to be back running, and even, racing, at what in comparison to ultras and marathons, psychologically had a vibe like a walk to the refrigerator for a swig of water!

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