Notes
Cedar Rapids Turkey Trot. I had pretty low expectations after having a vasectomy 2 weeks ago and only running for 3 days. Not to mention that I wasn't in amazing shape before the vasectomy.
So I started back further than normal races and took the first mile a bit more relaxed, slowly passing a lot of people in front of me and getting to a more appropriate place as we approached halfway. I still felt like I was probably in 20-30th place and kept passing people feeling pretty good. I was thinking the last stretch would be with the wind at my back but I was apparently wrong and surprised when it hit me in the face. I still pushed alright but definitely didn't go to the well. Finished strong but nothing crazy.
I ended up running 17:25 which isn't too impressive but I still felt pleasantly surprised to run 5:35 pace considering my last couple of weeks. I don't want to lower my goals too far since I ran 16:20 here last year, but the races were under very different circumstances. I also played this race pretty safe to try to feel good and not fall apart. I think if I would have started more appropriately, I probably could have been closer to 17 minutes even with my current fitness. So I probably more satisfied than I should be but I also think I did a good job making sure to use this race to encourage me to get after it and not frustrate me.