Queston about pacing for good race time without over doing it. (Read 386 times)

Last night I ran 5K distance on my own. It was hilly and took 26:52. Which was great for me considering my last 5k race was 30:27. I ran pretty hard the whole way, just past my comfort zone. My first mile was the quickest and my next two were slower. Does anybody have any advice of what kind of pacing i should do for my upcoming 5 and 10k races to get my best time results... and what kind of food and stretching should I do before the race in the morning?