5K PR - 23:13 - Viking Run

23:13 (7:29/mile)

800 wu
Mile 1 -- 7:12
Mile 2 -- 7:38
Mile 3.1 -- 8:23 (7:37/mile)

total: 3.6 miles
click pics to see larger versions

Viking Sunset 5k
Decent race. I started more or less as intended - closer to the front, more aggressive pace. I would have preferred starting right on 7:25, but it was not to be. I am pleased I did not crash, but kept my pace steady after the first mile. In retrospect, I think I could have pushed harder during mile 2, and maybe could have realized my 23:00 goal.

Finish was on the track. I finished hard, but decided the summer is long. There was nothing to gain by dropping :05 from my time by sprinting, and a long week of aching. In full view, this was a strong workout, not an assault on time. Racing will come later.

My form was occasionally shaky, but I kept trying to reform, relax, and lift up my head. Recovery has been good too. Tomorrow is the Jim Spivey Running Club workout, and that will prove whether I have recovered or not.

A few steps later, I swoosh by my competition faster than the camera could capture. Notice the blur.

Bob V. was there, but missed his mark. He finished in 19:20. He started far too aggressively and gassed out. Bob's friend Mark M. finished with a 26:08 in only his second race.

My friends Craig and Kati (she took the third picture) were there, standing with my wife, cheering me on!

Congrats to Tim Henry of Wheaton. He won in 15:57.

Pizza, cookies, pop afterwards. Water and pop were warm. I'm a Rosati's Pizza guy, not Papa John's, so I was disappointed. Rosati's is closer to real Chicago thin crust. Papa John's is cheap college pizza, like Domino's.

I'm satisfied that I ran hard and well, and look forward to the next race.

The official stats (my watch started when I passed the starting line)

• Finish 23:21.9


• Place overall 222


• Place gender 174


• Place age group 21


• Pace - mile 7:32.2