This was a last minute race with friends who came into town. Very small (barely 100 athletes), no frills, no timing chips but they promised beer at the post race party. So we were in! I knew I was going to attempt a PR at the Suncoast 5K the next weekend and wanted to see what to expect.
In my head, I should have been able to hold middle to low 8s for a 5K. Not so much. Ended up with 26:50 on their clock (26:42 on my Garmin 305). I had a friend offer to pace me. He did a great job but my legs were not there. We got caught behind slower runners at the start which forced us to do a lot of winding around and 7-something paces to get into the open. By that time I was toast. I'm sure partying/dancing to a ska band in a bar the night before did not help, but my legs weren't there. Even heard some wheezing.
Still a great experience. We had fun at the post race party but it was a bit windy and cool so we headed home. Only later did I find out that 26:50 was good enough for first place in my age group. LOL! And I wasn't the only woman, there were 7-8 of us.
Still, I'm disappointed in my time. Yes, I won my age group which not so many years ago was beyond my wildest dreams. I'm being a brat.
But I *know* I can do better. I want 25:5something. Now I just need to figure out the pacing thing. Next weekend will be my next attempt. And yes, a PR would mean more to me than an age group award. I didn't start this whole athletic thing to win. That's not what drives me. The age group awards are proof of how far I've come. But I want that PR.
