This morning, I ran the Iron Bunny 5k with proceeds benefiting ALS research. I was a little nervous going in because my legs weren't feeling too fresh after a Friday hike up Mt. Cristo Rey in El Paso. I got to the race about 45 minutes early, which gave me enough time to loosen up and be ready to go. Since I'm still not ready for a full 5k completely unshod, I wore my Vibram Five Fingers. That still kept my stride honest and reminded me to strike mid-foot.
As is always the case, pacing was key. Most of the runners sprinted out of the start. While a few were able to maintain that pace (the winner was somewhere in the 18 minute range), most had to settle in to a much slower jog with a mile or so. This sets up a fun game Shoeless Matt taught me. I focused on a runner ahead of me and targeted them as prey. It's a powerful exercise that really helps to push the pace. Just make sure you pick someone you can catch.
Since I had my Garmin Forerunner 305, I was able to keep my pace constant all the way through. I decided that if I kept it at or below 9 minutes per mile, I would be good to go for a late push. This was important in the early going, since my ego wanted me to chase the sprinters out of the gate.
My official time was 27:29. Not exactly blistering speed, but it was an improvement over my last race and was definitely a confidence builder. I'm looking at running another 5k in two weeks through Downtown El Paso.
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