Start Fast and Hang On

I ran my first 5k of the year recently. It was the “Cruise in Shoes” 5k that kicks off the Woodward Dream Cruise. It’s grown each of it’s four years and now gets about 1200 runners. When I run a 10k I know my pace and keep a steady pace from start to finish. I knew I could start faster in a 5k so I came out strong. My goal was to run sub-8 minute miles. Well, at the one mile mark I was at 7:05. Much faster than I thought but I felt okay so I pushed on. I didn’t intentionally slow down but I couldn’t keep the pace so my finish was a 7:36 pace for a 23:36. I thought that may qualify for a top 3 medal but instead it was 7th place in an age group of 39.

I’ll take it.