St.J/Coach Schenk Memorial 5k
Michele: First 5k of the year! This is a small race back in my hometown, approximately 300 runners. This is the third year I've done this race, as it is a memorial to the high school soccer coach that coached the boy's varsity team when I went to school years ago. Coach Schenk was also the father of one of my friends from high school and for sure an icon in our small town. The day was perfect, 40 degrees, no rain, minimal wind. I had the goal of winning my age group for the third year in a row and also possibly hitting a PR for 5k distance, although this is a hilly 5k, with a short, steep hill at the very end called Mt Misery. This is most likely going to be known as "The Year of the Hills", because all of my races have hills to contend with. This race starts uphill, has a gradual incline in the middle, and ends with Mt Misery. First mile- 7:44 pace, good start! Second mile- 7:42 pace, even faster than my first mile! Third mile- 8:32, Mt Misery strikes again, but last year this mile was 8:42 for me, so 10 seconds faster this year. Official time- 25:07, 2 seconds off my 5k PR, even with the hills! And, I hang on for a third year as age group 1st place, 6th female finisher overall.
Jeff-This was my 1st 5k of the year and the first as being a normal human now that I have a job during the day and not at night. I had big expectations for this race. I had never run better than 21:30 in this race. I had high hopes of a sub-20 race for the first time since high school. That dasdardly Mt.Misery got me in the end. I was able to get a 20:48 out of the ole legs. I have never felt better for a complete race like I did here. No complaints other than the finishing time, which isn't too bad for this almost 40 year old. The finally tally was an 11th overall and a first place in my age group. Pretty happy with the start of the season. Next will be the great Mt. Goat, a monstrous. hilly 10 miler through Syracuse, NY.