Liwiro la Malawi 5k

I originally had this on my schedule and decided against it after the Last Chance for Boston Half.  Always supportive GF started talking me into doing it last weekend, so I decided on Thursday to go ahead and give it a shot.  The race is set up to provide assistance to orphans at the Kanyenyeva Orphan Care Ministry in Malawi, Africa, which is an excellent cause I'll support.

GF and I arrived in downtown Mansfield about 45 minutes before the start for registration and warm-ups.  The temps were good but the wind was killer.  We waited around inside for as long as we could before making our way to the start.  I didn't really have a goal in mind because my training has been up and down and geared more toward the half marathon distance.  I was actually pretty nervous for this one because I knew the course would be tough. 

We started out from downtown and ran down Park Avenue for the first mile and a half.  I started out behind a couple people and moved into the top three right away.  Then I moved into second place within the first quarter mile.  Nobody was pushing the pace at all, so I tucked in behind the leader for a bit before passing him within the first half mile.  I was by myself for the rest of this one.  The hill on Park Avenue about a half mile in lasted forever!  It blocked the wind but it was tough to keep up a good pace.  I hit the first mile in 7:22 which is right where I wanted to be.  We finally got a slight downhill before a gradual incline again.  I caught up with the lead bike after we turned off of Park for the lollipop portion of the course.  I was feeling good and knew the worst part was over.  We then turned onto Maple for the last slight uphill and then turned again on Marion moving back toward Park.  I was pushing my pace a bit more and hit the two mile mark in 14:20.  I admit I did look back to see where the second place runner was and felt very comfortable with the lead I built up.  I flew down the long downhill leading us back to Park and the finish stretch.  The final stretch was flat, with the wind to my back this time, and I was able to finish with a solid 22:01 and my fourth first place finish!  Talk about an unexpected result!  GF was again doing a celebratory dance for me at the finish, too!

This was a solid race with the upcoming half marathon next week.  My confidence is pretty high and I'm hoping for a 1:45 or so next week.  GF is training for a 5k at the Flying Pig Marathon in May and we went out for a time trial this morning.  It was very cold and poor GF is just getting over a cold.  She still rocked it!  I'm confident she will be able to get a new PR in May.

Next race: Three Creeks Half Marathon- Groveport, OH