Upcoming Race and Belated Reflection...

Tomorrow night I have the town 5K race. I am very excited for it, because I run it every year. It has a steady, but slight climb for the first mile, then a couple of quick bursts up minor hills and then a fast finish. So, in preparation, I went out this week and ran some speed intervals on Tuesday morning, and then on Wednesday morning I ran a time trial. To be honest, I do not know if this was the smartest thing to do, but after warming up for ~1.5 miles (including a few 100m strides) and some stretching, I ran the course as if it were a race. My stop watch as I crossed the "finish line" said 19:35. This reminds me that during the week leading up to my last race, when I ran 6 miles, I decided to "race" 3.1 miles of it. My watch clocked 19:37. So, I know that I can do better than 20:21. I need to do it, though, and that means starting with the right preparation leading up to the race. So, after my light and easy stretch run of 3 miles, I will wake up with a goal of a hearty carbed breakfast, a light lunch, plenty of water until about 3 or 4 PM and then timely arrival at the race. The warm up will be my key. This will be an important race because it will tell me, if I run the best race that I can, how far away I am for the elusive 19 minute 5K. I will let you know how it went...