Notes
Reindeer Run 5k on the typical, but slightly different Lakewood course. Huge field with nearly 1,400 finishers. Cold, sunny and breezy 33F at the 9 a.m. start but a no-excuses day. Warmed up 4 miles with a couple strides and a quarter-mile interval at goal pace. Walked to the line thinking a shot a PR (17:37).
Crowded start and settled into position by half-mile. Big difference this week was having runners to work with. Ran in a pack with a couple 20-something fellas through 2 miles. Clock read 11:12 and knew the chance was there to take. Lakewood course is terrific for its 1.2 mile straightaway to the finish.
In the end, I ran about 4k on pace and slowed in the final half-mile. Not a strong finishing kick; sucks getting passed by several runners between mile 3 and the finish line.
Splits: 5:38, 5:35, 5:48, :37 = 17:37 (tied PR set Oct '09)
17th place overall. (1,382)
2nd AG 40-44 (53)
Huge turnout. Never seen so many runners in Lakewood Park. Nice to have a competitive field.