Kingwood 5K

GF and I ran the Kingwood 5k at the nearby Kingwood Center in Mansfield.  This is one of GF's favorite places as the site includes a myriad of flowers and other plants.  We used this as a PR attempt for GF, despite her recent training being up and down.  The temperatures held at a reasonable level for mid-June but the humidity was high.

We started out with a long straightaway and a turnaround near the high school.  GF was able to start off at a terrific pace as there was more room to operate than at her last 5k.  She actually started off much faster than I had anticipated by sprinkling in some fast bursts.  This worked well for her at the Flying Pig and it worked even better at this race.  We were trying to hang with the second larger group of runners and GF did a great job of doing so.  Her first mile came in at 14:20.  That's a full minute faster than I wanted her to go out! 

The bike path was the next section on the course and we were on there for a while.  GF was still sprinkling in some fast bursts, but she was certainly feeling the effects of the first mile.  She passed some people and kept them behind her during this second mile, keeping her just behind the second larger group.  We made our way to North Lake Park for a nice loop before heading back toward the path.  Her second mile came in at 14:24 so she hadn't slowed by much. 

We continued down the bike path toward the Kingwood Center and GF was feeling her efforts.  She slowed some here, but I told her to just keep moving and save some for the finish.  This part of the course was mentally tough as we knew we had almost a mile to go before turning.  We also had a nice hill to contend with as we made our way back to Kingwood.  The third mile came in at 15:30 as GF sprinted downhill into the Kingwood Center and crossed the line at 45:23.  This makes a new PR for GF by 4 seconds!  This was a bit shocking as, again, her training leading up to this one was so-so.  Her next attempt is coming on the Fourth of July, but first I have a 5k in nearby Tiro.

Next race: Tiro-Auburn Firefighter's Festival 5k