Bulldog Run 5K

I ran the Bulldog Run 5K Saturday morning. It was a cool, sunny and breezy morning. The temperatures were in the low 50s when the race started.

My hamstring hasn't been 100% since before my half marathon, I decided to take the first mile easy to see how it felt. The first half mile I was in a group of three women and a guy. I ended up passing the two of the ladies, then the man. I wanted to stay with one of the women, but she ended up running away from me. At the mile mark, my watch read 9:15. My hamstring wasn't bothering me, so I decided to pick up the pace. I knew that the guy was still behind me at the mile mark because I could hear his Garmin making noise.

When I did pick up the pace, I knew I dropped the guy behind me. I couldn't hear his Garmin anymore, so I know I put a gap in between us. Breaking away from the guy behind me, I found myself running alone. I ran by myself for the rest of the race because of my easy first mile. I was hoping I latch myself on the back of someone, but everyone was too far ahead of me.

At the second mile mark, my watch read 18:00. I was happy to have had a negative split. When I crossed streets, I could hear the volunteers telling whoever was behind me, "Good job!" My goal for the rest of the race was to have no one pass me.

Crossing an intersection to the final stretch, I was surprised no volunteers were standing in the street to block traffic. As soon as I crossed one lane, a van was approaching. The van was going right at or just above the speed limit. I was thankful I crossed just in time. As I rounded the final corner, I was expecting to run into the football stadium and run a loop around the field and finish. This year the race finished right before entering the stadium. If I knew that race finished in a different spot, I would have actually sprinted to the finish line. Maybe it's better I didn't know. That final sprint could have hurt my hamstring.

I finished the 5K in 26:51 and placed third in my age group. Even if my hamstring was 100%, I would have finished in the same spot. The two ladies that finished ahead of me were quick.