Paper Anniversary

Today is the annivesary of the first official running race I competed in. I ran that first 5K a year ago in 32:06 for a pace of 10:20 per mile. That was the beginning of an addiction -- I ran 14 different races in 2008, including four 10K races and three half-marathons.

I ran today's 5K in 21:14, for a pace of 6:50 per mile. That was about 40 seconds per mile slower that my original goal for this race (a goal that I set last fall), but I suppose considering the illnesses I've battled this winter combined with difficulty of getting outside in the ice and cold, I shouldn't be too disappointed.

My goal is still to turn in a time that will qualify me for the top starting corral for the 500 festival mini-marathon in May. I have two more races for that attempt before the seeding cut-off date. I can achieve that goal by running either a 6:18 mile in the Polar Bear five-mile on February 21, or a 6:26 mile in the 500 festival 10K training run on March 7. Hopefully with the weather getting better, I can get back to full training schedule.