Rich Vojitek Memorial 5k run - April 18, 2009

Yesterday I drove up to Landerhaven in Mayfield Heights for a 5k race. The weather was beautiful - sunny, clear, warm, and not too hot. Since I'm training for a 1/2 marathon next month, I needed to run more than just a 5k. So, my plan was to run 3 miles both before AND after the race, to get in 9 miles for the day. Well, I had a little trouble finding the starting line, so I didn't arrive quite as early as I had planned. My pre-race run ended up being only 2 1/2 miles, but I felt pretty good, even with a little blister on my left arch and a little cramp in my right arch. After the warm up run I found my brother and we headed to the starting line. The course began slighly downhill, but overall was very flat. According to their mile markers, I ran mile one in 8:35, mile two in 10:11, and the last mile and a tenth in 9:03 for a total time of ~27:50. The second mile marker had to be in the wrong place! There's no way I slowed up that much! Several people made the same comment at the finish line. We also heard that the overall finish was a bit more than a 5k, too. Oh well. It was a good hard run, and I was happy with my time, even if it was off. I didn't place, but the girl who was 3rd in my age group passed me somewhere around mile 2 1/2. So, I'm guessing I was 4th in my age group. My brother was 3rd in his age group and won a nice rock / award. :-) I did win a $10 gift card to a restaurant in the drawing after the race - which is great since the entry for this race was only $13. After the awards I did go for another run, but with everyone leaving, my motivation was down, and I only went one more mile instead of the 3 in my plans. My day ended with a total of 6 1/2 miles, which is a little short of the 9 miles I had planned to run, but oh well. Next Saturday I'll be running the Hermes 10 Miler at Edgewater Park in Cleveland.