Children's Way 5K

Finally, a race at the right time and right place to set me up for a new PR. The Children's Way 5K was my first 5K race since the Celebration 5K in July, where I performed poorly. A new PR was a must since I have been under the wing of my new coach, Coach May, for about a month. Coach May coaches some of the area's top youth distance runners and recently I have been added to the list of pupils he coaches. I have sensed improvement already with the quality of my runs. But now on to the race. It was only a year ago that I did this race and finished in a slow and sluggish time of 27:35, which was my PR at the time. So today was a PR or bust on a fast course through San Marco. The race started at 8:00 AM but I was awake before 6:00 AM, trying to get myself pumped. My dad wasn't here at the race since he was spending the week in Tallahassee, where he competed in a very challenging cross country race, the Prefontaine Forest 5K, where he finished in the top 25% of the field on a course featuring rolling hills on trails covered with loose sand and strewn with dead trees. My mom brought me to this race with plenty of time to warm-up, which I used to my advantage. The weather was cool and I felt almost no humidity. I noticed that the grass was somewhat damp and I wondered if it rained. It turned out that the course had to be "modified" because a road running along the St. Johns River was flooded. Up until the gun went off my mind was filled with doubt, wondering if I wouldn't push as hard since the course was short. But my thoughts were erased and I clicked into my pace for the start of the race. The first mile snaked its way through a town center-like area of San Marco where I saw the new 1st Place Sports store, sandwiched between two boutique stores like itself. My first mile went by fast and felt a little easier but it was too early to tell. The time was the usual 6:45 mile, the pace I've hit for my recent 5K races. On my second mile the pace fell a little off and I clocked a 14:15, my slowest 2 mile since, well, my first race! After I saw the flashy red lights displaying my split, I took off, my mind full of anger and adrenaline. The final turn appeared before me and I kicked it into my last gear picking off people left and right. Then I saw my 3 mile split: 20:45! I did the quick calculation in my head and figured out that I clocked in 6:30 for my third mile, the fastest mile of the whole race. Another thought came upon me, like a slap in the face. I was in PR-ville and with that musing I reached deep into my body to muster all the energy I had left. Cruising in through the finish line my time was 21:30, a time that can speak for itself. After I exited the finishing chute, my mom rushed over to me and gave me a high five. Then came the bad news. It turned out the course was short due to a last-minute modification. Now my europhia I was experiencing left my body and I wanted to find what the real distance was. But I decided I would dwell on that subject later. I headed to the food and there was an assortment of all the food you would find at a party. There was pizza, ice cream, chicken sandwiches, anything that tasted good. This 5K probably had the best festivities and post race refreshments out of any 5K in the area. The awards came and I was very happy to learn that I got first in my age group, receiving another 100 Grand Prix points to thrust me into the lead for my age group in the 2008-09 Grand Prix standings. Overall, I was satisfied with the day and it turns out that the course was only 0.05 of a mile short of 5K, which meant that I would have PR'd if it were the proper distance. My next race is the Freedom 5K this weekend (so I can PR a little bit more) and after that it is the Evergreen Pumpkin Run 5K which I hope to have a big PR in after a month of regimented training. So long and keep running in this good weather!