I am well over a month behind on this blog as I've already completed two races. Yet another job change and move is my excuse this time. I recently relocated to Mansfield, OH, which should open up yet more race opportunities. It's exciting to be within an hour or so of Columbus, Canton, Akron, and the Cleveland area. Plenty of races to be had!
The first one this year was the Fremont Indoor 10k. This was a fun race held at the Fremont YMCA. We saw about four inches of snow the morning of the race, so making the trek from Tiffin (this was a few weeks prior to the move) was a chore. But racing indoors, in shorts and a T-shirt, in early February made the trip worth it. There's not much to report as we simply ran 56 laps around the indoor track. There were multiple heats to accommodate the 60-70 runners and I found myself in the first heat. I started off conservatively and trailed a fellow runner for the first three miles. Splits were even the entire way. I made a move at mile four and made for the leader. He was extremely quick and I was never able to make up much ground on him, but still came in with a solid 44:44, which would actually be my 10k PR! I won't count it as such since it was an indoor race.
The second race was near Ashland at the Road Apple Run 5k. This was held at Crestview schools. It was organized pretty well and featured an out and back course. We started at the parking lot and made our way north away from the school. My training had been mediocre at best with the frigid winter we've had in Ohio, so I started out with a conservative pace for this 5k. But I did pass quite a few people during the first half of the race and was near 11:30 at the halfway mark. We had gone down a few hills on the way out, so I knew it would be a struggle on the way back. I tucked in behind a few other runners for a half mile or so before passing them and then did it again with another group. The final 100 meters was a sprint between me and another runner, but he got the best of me on this day. I ran a respectable 22:28, good enough for 19/237 overall. Not bad.
I'm signed up for the ORRRC Half Marathon next month, my third time running that race. I may run a 5k or 10k in nearby Lucas next week, but the jury's out. Hopefully, I can keep up with this blog!
