results...

this morning was my first official 5k race in something like 7 years. i didn't know what to expect results-wise going in - only hoped that i'd run a decent pace and see what it was like to actually run with other people. no high expectations - just a chance to run around the neighborhood and guage my improvement since i began running in february...

of course, 30 minutes before the race began, k called and let me know that she was running as well. i knew that she was going to be all about kicking my butt. she's a running veteran, an exercise junkie. i figured i may have a chance to beat her. but i knew that she very well might take me. i wasn't going to let her race dictate mine - don't need to be ultra-competitive with the ex-wife...

the first quarter mile or so was spent getting past much of the throng on the narrow path, and i felt like i had a good stride going - if not a little too fast. i had the garmin on, but only used it to let me know my pace at the end of each mile. about a half-mile in, k pulled up beside me with a "what's your pace" comment and ran on past - definitely happy to be overtaking me, i'm sure. not a big deal, i thought. let her go...

the garmin rang at the one mile mark and read 7:17. good pace for a first mile for me - certainly race-pace. the course was pretty hilly (well, hilly for an old airport in denver) and i tried my best to power up the hills. definitely a good idea to run the 5k today before next week's triathlon...

at about a mile and a half, i managed to move by k - she didn't really fall back as much as i had picked up the pace. when the garmin alerted me that the second mile was complete, i looked down to see that i had managed a 7:04 split. good time for me, yes, but it took a lot of juice out of me. the final mile was going to be a rough one...

i spent the last mile just trying to hold pace with the people in front of me. the garmin rang at mile three (7:27) - i was relieved to have kept it under 7:30. the last tenth (actually two-tenths) was a slightly higher pace finish. i was out of energy, but pleased with the race. my actual 5k time of 22:40 was better than i had hoped for. and my official race time of 23:13 was good for 18th place overall (out of 140 total) and 5th in my old-man age group (out of 25). i didn't imagine i could finish that high, so am very pleased with the run...

and k finished 10 seconds behind me. but first in her age group. must have been bittersweet...