Cree Cruise 5K Recap

I wasn't expecting much when I ran 5K in Sturtevant on June 1. It was six days after my return from a two-week vacation out west, and I hadn't been running much. Still, I put together a pretty solid performance.

Before the race, I took Eliana in the stroller for a warm-up to the Washington Highlands condominium complex where I used to live. I said hi to my old neighbor and the person who bought my place. It's been seven years since I moved out, so I think my neighbor was a bit surprised to see me.

I started out fast -- maybe too fast -- and turned in a first mile of 6:28. Had I been training extensively, that would be perfect to set a sub-20 minute PR, but it became pretty obvious that I couldn't keep that up. After a 6:59 second mile and fatigue setting in, I did my best to hold it together. Mile #3 was 7:09. Another 38 seconds to the finish, and I was done in 21:14, about 40 seconds off my PR. This was 30th overall and 6th in the highly-competitive M30-34 age group.

An hour or so later, Eliana entered the Kids Cruise, which was a very short run in the Cree parking lot. Despite my best effort to prepare her, she was a bit spooked by the person who yelled "Go!" and ran directly into my arms. I guided her around the course, and then she freaked out again when a volunteer tried to give her a ribbon. I'm sure she'll be a bit more excited about her next race. :)