I ran a 5K Saturday to see what kind of shape I'm in and to set some goals for the 10K. I ran a respectable race, but I'm sure I could have had a better race. I lead what I thought was the first mile of the race, but they didn't have mile markers (If I have to guess I ran the first mile of the race in 5:30 or a little less), we then ran through a kilometer of snow covered roads, (they did have a marker at the 2km and 3km only). Then the last mile all I could think about was my guts and how sick I had been the day before. (Friday morning I woke up about 4am with stomach cramps that kept me up for the remainder of the night. I threw up, felt worse, called in sick, then visited the Doctor and got some pills to manage the symptoms which made me sleep almost all day and night. I woke up Saturday morning running to the bathroom about every half hour, but the whole digestive system was "tolerable" and I could keep food down. So 20 minutes before the start my final visit to the john made me feel well enough to race.) So the last mile of the race I felt well enough but I couldn't stay focused and just didn't seem to have the "juice" I needed. The winner came in at 16:53, and I came in at a distant 5th in 18:03. My wife and I enjoyed the rest of our weekend out of town.
...But I keep thinking about that goal pace I want to aim for my next 10K should I go for 5:50, 6:00, Is 5:45 - 5:50 too fast?

Thanks for the advice.