We got to Palm Harbor only to find that the main parking lot was full already (an hour before the race started). We found a good spot just down the road though. Since we had done our bib and shirt pickup on Saturday we went directly to the chip pickup line which took all of 15 seconds to get our chips. The organization for this part of the race was great.
We then had a good 45 minutes to wait until the race started. We spent that looking at the menus on the restaurants nearby and just waiting out the time. At 7:30 the Half Marathon runners took off and then the 5K runners lined up. Usually I line up in the 10 minute pace section, but I have been frustrated with having to pass so many people at the start that this race I started in the middle of the 8 minute pace group.
At 7:32 the gun sounded and we were off. Did I mention it was foggy? We were supposed to have views of the gulf, but because of the fog we really couldn't see much of anything. Oh Well. I turned my focus on the road in front of me and tried to go at my max possible pace. I found that by starting further up in the start I didn't have to pass so many people and I could get a comfortable pace started quickly instead of waiting for a half mile or more. Since I had my phone set up to notify me of my pace every two minutes so I was able to hear that I was going too slow at the start to break the 30 minute mark for the race that I was trying for.
I picked up the pace and felt good running around a 9 minute mile pace. At mile 1 I was slightly over that pace at 9:05, so I decided to try to push myself a little harder. I found that a great way to pick up my pace is to find another runner in front of me and focus on catching them and then passing them. At this point of the race the groups had thinned out, so there were maybe 20 runners in my area, so I found my target and began my pursuit. The time between mile 2 and mile 3 went by like a blur and my pace picked up as well.
Once I passed mile 2 the group thinned out even more and I felt like there just 5 or 6 people around me. I was starting to feel tired, but kept trying to push myself as hard as I could since I knew I was going to break the 30 minute mark and I wanted to do as good as I possibly could. Once I hit mile 3 I knew I had a great chance to break 29 minutes! I tried to kick my pace up another gear, but I was about out of energy.
I took the last turn to enter the finish chute to see the clock at 28:40! I gave it my best sprint and crossed the finish with my best 5K time yet. I had run a 5k in 28:47!!! I then went to the finisher's chute to watch for Jenny to finish her run. She came down the chute a little later with a smile on her face.
Once the race was over we got a bite to eat and I had a beer since it was the Blue Moon race! Once we felt filled we went over to the raffle and Jenny's number was called and she got a pair of sunglasses.
Overall we had a great time in this race. Next Saturday we get to run our first Disney Race, the Jingle Jungle 5k. We're going to use this as a fun run and take our time and try to get character pictures during the race. Once this race is done I have ONLY 2 WEEKS until the Space Coast Half Marathon! I have to get my miles in!
Mile Pace Total Time
1 9:05 9:05
2 8:49 17:54
3 9:17 27.11
4 8.34 28:27
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