Well, this is certainly the latest I've ever done a race report. I'm in a strange lull between races and have not had one in over a month. I still have a few weeks until the next one and realized I haven't reviewed this terrific local race yet.
This one was at nearby Pleasant Hill Lake in the Mohican area. I ran the Mohican 17k last year from the same site, but this 5k was FAR better organized. Ohio Race Day does a wonderful job organizing races in the Mansfield area and I've enjoyed every single one. This race was on a hot day but offered plenty of shade. I felt pretty good and had a strategy of starting off slower than other recent 5ks and seeing if I could run more even splits.
The race included a high school challenge, so there were a bunch of fast kids lined up in the front. I tucked in behind them and started off at a good pace. My goal was to stick with the second pack of high school runners (this race made me feel old) and try to hang on. We moved away from the lake on a paved trail and weaved around the south portion of the lake. It wasn't particularly scenic but the shade was wonderful. I passed several younger runners early on and had a nice first mile in the 6:50 range. That's right where I planned to be and hoped to stay in that range.
We continued weaving around in several small loops and I passed a few more younger runners late in the second mile. I did miss a turn for one loop and had to make it up which cost me a few seconds. Thankfully, I was feeling stronger than in my last few 5ks. The second mile came in around 6:45 so I was holding steady. The only real hill on the course showed up around 2.5 miles in and it was a rough one. There was no shade and we were still on asphalt. It was tough but I was able to pass one more runner and glide in for a great 20:11. This is actually one of my top five 5k attempts and it was good enough for 24/92 overall (there were 23 sub 20:00 times!) and first in my age group.
Hopefully I can keep up with this blog in the near future!
Next race: Run to the Wall Half Marathon- Clinton, OH
