On Thanksgiving morning I ran my first race since the Twilight 5K. I put a good number up at that May event and I hoped I could run well here, especially since I've worked harder at including speed work and training my core.
Additionally this is the same race and same course where I ran a 40:15 in 2015. It's got a few hills as things wind through the Normaltown neighborhood of Athens, and there are also a few hills on the back end followed by a downhill finish. I'd hoped for something in the mid-37 minute range. The plan was to go out a tiny bit slower and then tighten the screws as I went along.
The weather was perfect. Temps were in the low 50s with a light breeze and some clouds. Race shoes were my new favorite Adidas Sequence.
It turns out things went about like I wanted them to. My mile splits were 7:44-7:33-7:23-7:10, and Strava said I ran my last mile in 6:59. That last mile time pleases me, especially since the last mile began after a big climb that helped keep my heart rate above 170 for the last nine minutes. And to have a final mile under seven minutes is a good start as I work toward a sub-20 5K, where three miles around 6:20 will be needed.
Finish time was 36:09, or about 7:22 per mile. My watch was still in the 4.8 neighborhood so the finish kind of jumped out at me until I realized an 8K is actually like 4.96 miles. This finish time is four minutes better than last year's time, and an overall PR by over three minutes. Not too shabby.
Also worth noting is that I finished ahead of my boss, the classy gentleman for whom I work at Fleet Feet. Pay no attention to his wearing a turkey suit or that he took countless pictures while out on the course. I passed him on the last mile, he passed em back, then I got him back in the last quarter. Take your victories where you find them, right?
Meanwhile, I made my monthly goal of 90 miles with a three-miler before the Georgia/Georgia Tech game last Saturday (don't ask). I've made that goal four times in 2016, and I've been over 90% the last three times I've missed. I'm also slightly ahead of the game over the last six months. Plus I've run over 20 miles in each of the last six weeks, so I'm pleased with how I'm running and committing to getting out there.
No real race goals on the horizon-- just to keep on keeping on and staying in shape for whatever materializes after the first of the year.
