October 26th was shaping up to be a really nice
day so I went ahead and registered for the 5K fun run. The race supported Growing Home of
Westminster so I grabbed some canned goods for donation as well. I did not have particularly high hopes for
this event so I stayed in my usual routine and went for a bike ride the day
before and a swim the morning of the event.
At 10:15 AM the event was underway. I took a spot in the middle of the starting
field of 29 individuals (7 men and 22 women).
Surprisingly quickly, I had come up through the field and was chasing a
guy who did not seem too much faster than me.
I felt really good, but my heart rate was in the low 170’s and that is
not a sweet spot I can usually hold for very long (8:17 for mile 1).
Just before the turnaround, I saw the lead runner come
through and then the second place runner and then it was me and the third place
runner. At this point I was
motivated. I picked up the tempo a
little bit and was in 3rd place around the 2 mile mark (8:10 for
mile 2). The final mile was motivated by
fighting the urge to turn around and see if I had a gap and trying to maintain my
pace (7:54 for mile 3).
I turned on my finishing “kick,” which spiked my heart rate
to 189. I ended up finishing the out and
back course in 24:55, just 4 seconds off of my best 5K in recent years. If I had known that was possible, I would
have worn my racing flats.
Thanks to 3W and the Westminster Dairy Queen for hosting a
great event. Sneaks Organics, Emergency,
Teenie Greenies, and Kachina grill provided some fun raffle prizes.
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