So far this year, I've run three 5K races. But if you count Sunday's 10K as two 5's... Maybe we should simply say that I've done my share of the short stuff. And not much of the long. And I'm okay with that. I'm also okay with progress, such as it is. Each of the 5K's was progressively faster, although not by as much as I would have liked. The 10K was about as expected, based on everything else.
Saturday's Hy-5 was fun, and although it was the day before the Cleveland Marathon, it was bigger than I thought it would be. Wifey Debbie, Daughter Veronica, Son-in-Law Barry and the kidlets were all on hand. I thought I'd just walk with everyone and help push the stroller, since I had the 10K the next day. But I made a last minute decsion to run after all. Debbie and Veronica, who didn't mind, would take turns pushing, and Barry would run as well.
It rained both before and after the race, but we were lucky to stay dry during the actual run. It was flat, fast and fun. After a rough first mile, I settled into a decent pace and finished strong with - finally - a decent sub-seven final mile. My time was 22:06, good (although I use that term loosely) for second in my age group.
Sunday's 10K was a different story. Because of the associated Cleveland Marathon, it was big, expensive and quite the hassle for such a relatively short race. On the other hand, it was nice to see so many runners, including several friends, bringing downtown Cleveland alive. This time the sky was clear, but it was cool again with temperatures in the upper forties; perfect for running.
Once again, the first mile was rough. It seems that getting my breathing down right takes some time and practice. The next couple miles were also not the greatest, but the final few were better. I don't know why this is; I just eventually get to my most efficient self. Too bad it takes a while.
46:27, good, this time, for third in my age group. I missed second by about four seconds.
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