Red Shoe 5K - Ashburn, VA

After some tough training weeks where I have been averaging around 40 miles a week for the Blue Ridge Marathon on April 20th, 2013, I thought I would run the Red Shoe 5k.  Its a low key event and would be a nice warm-up to the Cherry Blossom that I am planning on running tomorrow.  So we arrive there around 7:30, pick up the bibs

 ...then back to the car because its was pretty cold outside. Here is a pic of us goofing around in the car:

 Of course, I had to hit the shitter a good 3 times before I felt completely empty....I think I get more nervous running 5k's than 50k's...I think it goes back to my cross country days in high school - don't really know.  After I check the stats, 398 people actually ran the race.  So before the race, they have the traditional kids race which Zach won, Nic was in second the whole way until some other boy snipped him at the end.

However, both were running the 5k with Heather and I so the congratulations were short lived.  So we all line up and I notice a lack of PR runners - usually, I roll up to a PR event and a van full of Kenyans with DC plates pull in with their track suits on to drop some 15 minute times on our ass but I didn't see anyone...or PR racing members except for this one woman who was decked in the latest PR racing shirt.  At the starting line, I am making some small talk about injuries, times, and bunch of other nonsense shit until they yell go.  Finally, we are off and I move into a nice 6 minute mile pace and hit the first mile at 6:18, not bad for no sprint work and all long/slow training runs...Mile two which always sucks for me is 6:36 and mile 3 comes not much better with 6:35...so I am heading to the finish line and I hear some woman yell out, "19:46, you can make it". So I am balls to the wall and hit the line at 20:02 thinking that was gun time,what was the actual chip time...come to find out, chip time was 20:00 - "are you shitting me"...oh well, came in first in my age group (40-49) and 6th out of 398...with a decent 6:27 mile average for the 3.1 miles.

Here is me getting my first place award:

yea, not a fast crowd...any other race, I would be in the 30's with that time, especially in our area.  Oh, and here is another shot compliments of the Ronald McDonald Facebook page:

So that is it, my new PR (post high school) is now 20:00.  Tomorrow is the Cherry Blossom 10 miler which should be run and will most likely just jog this one out as I am in taper mode at this point.