Notes
Semper Fi 5k. Official time is 18:26. Temperature is an estimate. Yesterday it was 104, the hottest June day in DC on record, and it was 96 when I finished my run a bit after 10am. Today was forecasted to be similar, and the overnight low was expected to be around 80. But a freak storm rocketed over from the midwest and blew through last night around 11pm, knocking down trees and power lines all over DC (but not here - we slept through it). So it was cooler than expected in the morning - 73 when I got up at 6am. By race time it was warm, sunny, and quite humid, so conditions were far from ideal. But I was expecting outright dangerous conditions, which didn't materialize. In any case, I wasn't expecting a fast time and didn't plan to run all out. But I ran a first fast mile with a group that included the top female finisher and felt ok. I slowed down for the second mile when that group broke up in part just because I wasn't going to push it in that weather. By the third mile, I was clearly taking things easier than I could have but didn't mind. There was a gap in front of and behind me. As with last year, a good race on a fast course. There was a pool of water across the road shortly after the start which I had to go off the road to run around. I was in front then and most people either followed me or went around the other (faster) side, except two guys who ran right through it and ended up finishing 1-2. There's no doubt that I can run under 18 minutes if I can run this time in this weather, at the end of a 65 mile week, with a significantly less than 100% effort.