Running ... and I need to smarten up!

So, I ran my first official timed race (5k) on Apr.9th. I did a respectable 26:35.6 and came in second in my category - male, 60 - 69 years old (2 out of 5). (48th overall out of around 315 runners.) It was a fairly flat and familiar course. It was hard but I was personally amazed at my time when I finished. (My personal best had been around 27:45 for 5k)

So, today I ran another timed race (5k of course - no sense in totally destroying myself just yet). During the last race I was caught behind a lot of slower runners and walkers at the start of the (narrow) course so I was determined not to let that happen again. This time I started near the front of a pack of over 900.

I figured I'd let the faster runners pass me for a change so I could set my pace early. However, as luck would have it, feeling so good out of the gate I kept up an impossible personal pace of less than 5 minutes per 1k for the first 2 kms. That's WAY beyond my red line! Also, the first 1k had a downhill that I was not prepared for - even though it was a road I had driven on thousands of times before. (Funny how you just don't notice such things the same in a car!) As I was running down it I was thinking, "okay, we'll have to go back up as some point, and I'm going to die!".

At around 2.5 - 3kms was the water station. Except they had both water and Gatorade. My mistake. I took the Gatorade and almost immediately regretted it. It just didn't sit well with me.

Then, of course, the uphill came after that at around 4kms (again, on a stretch of road I have driven thousands of times, but never appreciated the grade). I slowed my pace but I just wasn't going to make it. So - I walked. 30 seconds worth. A few people passed me but not more than 8 - 10 (I think). Anyway, that walk "rest" was exactly what I needed.

I got going again, and then booted-it for the final 200 metres. I came in at 26:31 beating my previous by 4+ seconds. I have to say, given how things were going, I was ecstatic! While I was hoping to beat my previous best, I really thought I'd blown it.

1st out of 13 for my category (male, age 60 - 69); 125 out of 900+

Lesson learned - I hope!

Oh - and, my knee is better, thank you. Looks like it was probably a muscle imbalance. There was no damage as I had originally feared (being a bit older, and all). Now, if I could just get rid of that pesky remaining excess 20 lbs.