5K Run for Clean Air uLBRR

This is an unconscionably long boring race report for just a 5K, but here goes...

This was both the best and worst race I've run. After lining up near the front of the pack, the starting "gun", a sort of weird buzzer, sounded. Other people began to run so I figured that was the start. Because it was a 5K I was afraid of getting boxed in and starting out slow so I darted in and out of the runners ahead of me, kicking people's feet and knocking into people in the process. At the time, I was annoyed that these people had lined up so close to the front, but I later realized, as will be seen, that maybe I was just being obnoxious.

I was afraid that Jim and other Philly Runners were already out ahead. I overcompensated for my fear of runing slow, and soon realized that I was near the front of the pack and did not know anyone around me. I had never been this far up in a race. It felt lonely and I couldn't understand why there were so few runners and no Philly Runners.

For a moment I feared I was hallucinating- that I actually started running before the starting "gun" sounded, was really running all alone, and was just imagining the few other runners around me. I was running with a really small kid who couldn't have been older than 10 (was he my spirit guide?). I thought to myself that it is a bad idea to hold pace with him because he will soon fade. But then he pulled away. The back of his shirt read, "It's not the miles you put in, it's what you put into the miles."

The mile 1 clock read something around 5:30, and the reason why everything felt so strange hit me. This was Ian territory and I knew that I was screwed. The pain hadn't begun yet, but I did some quick math: 5:30 x 3 = certain death. Feeling stupid, I knew that I was the rabbit and folks would be passing soon. As I began to slow, I expected Jim to be passing at any time. My mile 1 split made me realize those people I knocked around at the start of the race were probably in my REAL pace range, and I was just being an asshole.

As I passed the turn around, I was hoping that I would have enough to finish the race. The clock at mile 2 read something around 11:30, which meant around a 6 min. mile 2. While slowing considerably during the last mile, a few more people passed and at one point I felt like stopping. But then the finish line appeared just over that bridge by the Art Museum. I reeled in a guy who had just passed me, and tried to kick it in at the end. It looked like the scaffolding was the finish line, as is usual, but the people standing there said to keep running. I saw the time on the final clock, and delighted, I kicked it in a bit more to finish with a final time I saw was something around a 18:40, a PR of about 3 1/2 minutes. But my last PR was last year’s 5K Run for Clean Air, which was before I really started running.

I had different levels of goals going into the race. My first goal was to break 20 minutes, which I felt was possible. My "itchin' for" goal- the time I was itching to break- was 19 minutes. My super goal for this race was to break Kevin's personal 5K best of 18:35. Two out of three isn't bad. I often have a goal of bettering other people's times. For the marathon last November, it was George Bush and John Edwards- I was faster than the former but not the latter. I thought an 18:35 was a good time to shoot for in this race.

This race was the best and worst I’ve run because I feel I ran it pretty fast and I achieved my time goals, but my splits were around 5:30 (mile 1), 6 (mile 2), 7 (mile 3). Technically speaking, those splits don’t look too good, and ideally I guess I should have paced myself at around my mile 2 split. It was pretty dumb to go out like a rabbit.

At the end of the race I congratulated one of the magical little wonder kids who finished just ahead of me and who had obviously "put a lot into his miles," and then made my way up to the finish to see Students Run Philly Style kids, PRs, and runners from my office finish.

Thank you to everyone who cheered for me. I wasn't feeling capable of cheering back but tried to acknowledge everyone with a wave.