Avita Moving Hearts and Soles 5k

I ran this nice local race over in Galion last weekend.  The weather has warmed up, so my 5k times are going to be slower than the blazing fast (for me) times I've been running.  I felt pretty confident going into this one.  I haven't had the dead legs feeling this year that I normally get this time of year.

The race started at the Avita Orthopedic Center in Galion, about a 15 minute drive from the house.  While I'll always prefer the half marathon, I do like the easier logistics of running local 5ks.  There's no real driving, no hotels or restaurants, the registration is cheaper, and I'm more competitive at this distance.

I did not have my GPS watch with me for this one and ran solely on feel.

We started out heading west on Hosford Road.  There were a few rolling hills sprinkled in the first stretch.  This helped my time out a bit.  I started out in the second group of people, as there were some fast looking high school kids in this one.  That's one negative to summer races.  We turned south at the next road for another straightaway.  I caught a few people in this stretch and knew I was in the top ten.  My first mile was probably around 6:30 or so.  It felt faster than it should be considering the heat.

The second mile was dull.  We turned around and headed down a LONG straightaway.  There were very few hills and no real scenery.  I went back and forth with another runner, but both of us wound up where we began.  Nobody was passing me and I wasn't passing anyone.  I guess that's how you know you're in the right place!  We turned around again and headed back toward Hosford Road.  Prior to getting there, we headed through a small residential area to break up the monotony.  I was feeling the heat and was certainly slowing down.

We finally made our way back to Hosford and I was able to finish somewhat fast.  I tried to catch the other runner from earlier but with no luck.  After turning back to the orthopedic center, I was able to hit the finish line in 20:43.  This was good enough for 7/194 overall and second in my age group.  Not a bad outing.

The next one actually occurred a few days ago.  W ran in her second 5k of the year and had a very good effort!

Next race: Ontario Liberty 5k- Ontario, OH