Going Short

Next Sunday I will be racing my first sprint triathlon since...well...ummm...oh gosh....uhhh...a long freakin' time! To test the fast-twitch waters I included a local 5k as part of my long run this morning, affectionally called the Frozen Foot 5k. It is a benefit for the local CU Triathlon Team and typically has several fast cats. With a start time of 9:00am I was able to enjoy a solid night's rest and awake with no alarm. After downing a tasty PB&J, coffee and water I put on my cold weather running gear and did a solid round of movement prep before heading out the door. It was a leisurely 2.5 mile run to the campus and race registration. The low-key atmosphere was refreshing and I enjoyed chatting with several friends before completing my warm-up and a few strides just for giggles & kicks. The last 5k I ran was two years ago and I recall the burning of lactic acid as I went out way too fast. Today would be different and I simply settled in with the lead group of guys. Just past the one mile mark our lead group of seven dwindled to four (Jake Timm, Tim O'Donnel, Robert Thayer and me). The course was a mini-adventure twisting & turning throughout the CU campus and included enough short hills to keep things honest. With about a half mile to go Tim & Jake put in a little surge that I could not cover and shortly thereafter Robert cruised by me. He is an excellent runner having just completed his career at CU specializing as a miler. As he went by all I could do was say, "Way to go dude." He eventually ran down Jake & Tim in the final stretch taking the overall win in 16:57. I was fourth in 17:18. As you can see not a blazing fast course, but a super fun morning. Congrats to Robert and Uli for their overall respective wins and all my friends who were in the mix! It was great seeing so many of my friends toeing the line.

Keep it smooth...
Brad