Browning Ross Summer Sizzler 5K

Well with only two weeks left, including tonight, in my Summer Sizzler Series I wanted to go all out tonight. Knowing that next Thursday, the last week, I will be doing a 5K race Wednesday night (Run for Tony) also.

Pre Race

Felt real good, I ate well all day and was very hydrated for the race. I ran 8.5 miles Tuesday and took last night off so I was ready to go. This is the first year I am doing these races but have heard that as it gets near the end the turn out gets greater. Apparently a lot of the local HS cross county teams come to get in a work out. So I pull in the parking lot with about 10 minutes before the race starts and it is packed. Looks like over 50 runners, and unlike when it is all adults running there are no cheering sections. But with the HS kids you got the parents and siblings that come to watch. Hey the more the merrier.

I pay my $5.00 and say hello to a few of the guys I have come to know over the last two months. And soon we are lining up for the start. I go to the back as I always do, and have my eye on a guy that always beats me. He can beat me by as little as :10 seconds or as much as a 1:30, so my plan was to pace with him for the race.

The Race

We are off and the guy I was going to pace decides that he is not going out strong. Well I felt good so I went out with out him. Was running good passed a few people but for the most part the pack was well ahead of me after ¼ mile (I will get to that later). I was pretty much by myself from ½ mile to 2.10 miles. Then I felt a guy coming up on me and passed me pretty easy. And at this point we got a mile to go and I look back and I am clear no one that I can see.

I am getting ahead of myself here. I get to the one mile mark in 8:49 that is a very good mile for me. Then the 2^nd mile is 8:54, very good for me to do two sub 9 minutes consecutively. So I am feeling good and know I am close to a PR pace for me. I keep going strong and finish at 27:37. Missed a PR by :04, but I am cool with that. I was very happy with my race tonight.

Post Race

When you cross the finish line you are handed a card that you write your name, age, and time on. Then you put it in a box and they calculate the results (I told you it is $5.00 so it works for me). But the cards are numbered by what place you come in. Mine had number 60 on it. I asked Ringo (race director) how many people were in the race tonight and he tells me 65. Now I know I am not fast but 27:37 and I am only 60 out of 65, there are some fast men and women in this race.

Ringo brought out fresh peaches for everyone and gave out the awards. Happy to say that I was 3^rd in my age group (30-39). And yes there were 3 in my age group.

Will post the official results when they are updated.

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