5K PR Watch

Photo by CCRG

If you've been following our blog for a while, you know that one of my goals for this year is to run a 5K in under 30 minutes.  My current PR is 34:38, earned during this year's Race for the Cure, While 4:38 might not seem like a lot of time to shave off the run, I'm going to have to go from an average pace of 11:10/mile to less than 10:00/mile.  And I don't like speed work.

My first attempt to better my PR was last Thursday, at the 1st Merrell Summer Series 5K in Carmel.  This was a fun race, starting and ending at the Monon Center and running along the trails and roads nearby.  It was a very pretty course running along some waterways and by lots of wildflowers.  Some of my Indiana friends thought it was hilly, but my North Carolina friends would say it had a couple of slight inclines.

Photo by Carmel Road Racing Group

Our Ladies Training group ran this race as part of our weekly training runs, and we met beforehand to warm up together before lining up with all the other runners.  It was a gun start with a chip finish, so that probably added a few seconds to my time, but I can't blame the gun start for keeping me from a new PR.  I finished in 35:49, an average pace of 11:34.

I can't feel bad about that, though.  I ran really hard, pushing myself more than I normally do, and I still felt good at the end.  I really enjoyed the run, too.  The weather was gorgeous, and it was warm but not hot, and it was fun to cheer my friends on and be cheered on by them in return.  I am really looking forward to the next race, on August 28.  Hopefully as the weather cools off I will be able to find a little more speed.