This will be a very brief race report, fitting for a 5k.

I woke up early to prep for the race like I always do, but early is relative considering that I live about 5 mins from the race site.  The air was a calm and chilly 30 degrees during my morning jog (to get things moving…).  Before the race, I met up with Jenny Thamer for a quick hug and we started off together.  The first mile is slightly downhill and I put in a solid 6:31 which is right where I wanted to be.  The second mile was everything I expected it to be.  From mile 1 to mile 2.5, the course takes a long and steady climb and there is no rest or recovery unless you drop your pace way down.  I put in an excruciating 7:54 in mile 2 but came back to life for a 7:14 on the winding downhill of mile 3.

Coming up the last climb to the finish, I didn’t feel like I had anything left for a kick.  I lit the fires fully expecting to have to pull up before crossing the line.  I managed to come out on top of a 4-way sprint.  The two ladies took off way too early and faded in the last 50 yards.  As I pressed hard and harder, I could see a shadow slowly creeping up on my left side.  The harder he pushed, the harder I was able to push and close the door.  He and I tied for 4th in our age group but officially, I finished 5th since he was a bit further back crossing the starting mats.

I crossed the line in 21:56 for 37th place out of 576 and just a scant 27 seconds away from an age group podium.  I feel like I’m on track to go below 20 mins at sea level by the end of the year.

After the race, I enjoyed coffee with my good friend Paul Carau who also put up a respectable time, has lost a lot of weight and is looking great for an old man!  Liz and I went on a recovery ride around South Boulder.  The new bike is really starting to ride nicely!