race report: st. a's run to squash hunger

i signed up for this 5k because it promised to be flat and fast (http://sta5k.com/), and i wanted a new 5k PR! as it turns out, the PR wasn't quite meant to happen, but it was a lovely, mostly flat race and i did enjoy it.

i finished 21st overall (of only 72 finishers), 4th female, and 1st in my group, and i tied my PR of 24:16. so it was a good day!

conditions were great, and the course was right alongside the river, offering a nice breeze and pretty views. i wanted to hit a pace of ~7:45 which should have been enough for a PR with a time of 23:xx. i wasn't concerned about winning my group or anything, i was really racing this for myself and my ego. ha. first mistake. garmin said my first mile was 7:40, not bad. mile 2 caught up with me, as it tends to do, with 8 flat. then mile 3 i did at 7:50, evening out to exactly match my PR. ha again.

part of the course was an out-and-back, so i could see who was ahead of me and i started counting females. i realized i was #5 and decided to try and pass female #4, who was within a few dozen yards. we had been close all race. i did pass her about halfway through mile 3, and i knew i had no shot at catching female #3.

i was alone for much of the race, which is unusual for me, and i think that actually hurt me a bit since my motivation and pace flagged somewhat. i think i do better with a few folks around to keep me honest. :)

for winning my age group, i received a pretty potted plant!