Freeze your Gizzard 5k - 10th Annual

So been training lately for this 50k which is sort of up in the air (get back to that later) and decided to hit the Freeze your Gizzard 5k in Leesburg, VA.  Last year, we did the fun run with the family and it absolutely killed me not to be running the actual 5k race.  However, given the bevy of high school kids and  XC state finals shirts this year, I was a bit worried that this would be a much tougher crowd.  But then I told myself, I really had not trained for a 5k in a year b/c of all the marathon training.  So I get there, its about 35F, not that cold but cold enough.  I did some dynamic stretching and hit the course for a mile warm up run.  The change from road to XC was a bit different so I had to get used to this quick.  Additionally, I have what I think is extensor tendonitis in my left foot.  Essentially, the tendonitis leads from the left leg down to the left top of the foot where it presents itself.  The "sensation/pain" I have been feeling is in my left big toe and feels like you tied your shoes to tight.  However, this was a week old and slowly going away so I wanted to get a mile in and see how it felt.  I ruled out a stress fracture b/c there was no real pain when I ran, just nerve sensations in my toe.  However, it could be the beginning of one.  So, I get to the line and worm my way up to the front and see 3 girls wearing some high schools XC team shirts.  While waiting and waiting, I struck up a short conversation and asked if they had run the course before and they said yes.  I asked how they thought they would do and one girl said she wanted to run in the 19's.  I thought to myself, its been 20 years since I ran in the 17's and would die for a 19 min 5k.  So, the gun went off and the course led out across the field and up a small hill.  I hesitate to call it a hill until you reach the end of mile one when you reach a grassy wall that went straight up.  I thought that sub 20 was out of the question.  My first mile was at 6:55, not a good time at all.  The second mile was worse especially in light of the hills one after another.  Note to self, read the description on the website (Course: This course is cross country style and has several steep hills.) My second mile was in 7:25, horrible...at that point, I said oh well, you haven't trained for a 5k and you need to do more hill work.  Especially when some teenie boper floated up the hill past me.  I finished the 3rd mile in around 7:14 ish and had a final time of 22:26 good enough for 38th out of 815.  I came in 34th out of 364 in the mens (6th out of 84 in my age group) and 4 girls beat me as well.  To bad I don't run as a women :) ..anyway, 22 min is a slow time but these hills were pretty tough.  Kudos to my son  who ran his first XC by himself in 33 minutes, tough course for an 8 years old.  In all, it was fun and schedule depending, might do it again.