Year of the Tiger

I ran my second 5K this morning. Same drill as the race in January, except I was able to sleep the night before. Yesterday I was questioning why I do these things (things being paying money to run at 8 AM on a Sunday), but really, I was just sad I couldn't enjoy a beer on a Saturday night.

About 2,000 runners/walkers showed up for the Chinese New Year 5K/10K run. I was worried about crowd anxiety, but instead, I was excited. The runners lined up over one or two blocks. The announcer started a countdown from ten, and at five, the fireworks went off. Awesome, false start. Because the city block was clogged with runners (and walkers IN FRONT OF ME), it was another minute before I crossed the starting line. That's when I turned on my Nike +.

The first few blocks were packed and I lost Tom almost immediately. Eventually the crowd thinned out and I did the usual darting between runners and using others as pace setters. I stormed up the first hill, to make up for the very slow first few blocks. I know experts recommend negative intervals for 5K's (first mile is the slowest, last mile is the fastest), but I started out fast then slowed just a little and found my pace.

The route wove through Chinatown, the Embarcadero, and downtown San Francisco. And yes, the scent of Chinese food taunted me (guess what I had for dinner?). I pushed myself the entire time, knowing it was a 5K and I could handle burning legs for less than a half hour. It was sprinkling when I first arrived, and by the first mile it was really raining. I was concerned about water damage to my Nano, but actually found the rain very refreshing - and dramatic!

When I saw the finish line, the big clock flashed 28:00 - which meant, officially, I would not make my goal of beating 28:00. I sprinted the best I could and the clock read 28:30 as I crossed the finish line - only a few seconds less than my first 5K race. But my Nike+ read 27:40. I consider the Nike+ score more accurate, since the official race time includes almost an entire minute BEHIND the starting line. Organization aside, the race was a blast and would be a fun annual tradition.

I am certainly getting faster, but need a completely different game plan for my 10K in April. Pace, pace, pace.  And I know you're curious - today's post race meal was pastrami & swiss on rye with a few bottles of water. At 10 AM.

You feel good while you're running and you feel even better when you're finished. 
~ Fred Lebow, founder of the New York City Marathon