Freedom 5K Recap

About 150 runners toed the line for the Freedom 5K in St. Germain. Three friends of mine -- Mark, Jamie, and Janet, also ran the race. Cheering us on were Jenelle, Heather (Mark's wife), and our friends Rich and Maryke.

As usual, I was a bit too excited at the start, and clocked a very fast first quarter mile before easing into a steady pace. Mark was ahead of me, but I kept him in my sights. I ran the first mile in about 6:45.

The trail narrowed shortly after the first mile marker, and there was a logjam of sorts as runners in front of me eased up with not much room to pass. It eventually cleared up as the trail widened again. My second mile was done in about 7:00.

At mile three, I tried to speed up a little, and I caught up to Mark. He noticed me approaching and said, "If you've got it, go for it". I charged ahead, clocking about 6:51 for my third mile, on pace for a personal record.

I had enough left in the tank to sprint past one runner before the finish. I leaned across the line (as if I were in the 100-meter dash) to earn a time of 21:12, which is a new best by 27 seconds! Yeah! Perhaps I should have sprinted a bit sooner. A common theme of my races is me feeling like I could have gone faster right after I cross the line.

Anyway, Mark managed a solid finish at 21:33. Jamie and Janet crossed the line side by side in 34:01 -- it was the first 5K for both of them. Welcome to the running world!

Pictures and possibly a movie will be posted when I get a chance.