18:53 for a 5k

If I had to put a percentage on it, I'd say I was seventy-five percent just happy to be outside running and twenty-five percent, come on, man.

I knew when we lined up at the starting line that it was probably going to be about a four-man race. People were avoiding the front like it was the firing line. I didn't really feel like I was in shape to win. My feet have been hurting a lot lately, especially since the broken sesamoid and the exercise hasn't really been a priority. All of that and I was a little antsy without my watch. At go, the wire-to-wire leader bolted out front and I tucked in behind him. I felt good, like the pace was in my comfort zone, and he kept checking his watch. It seemed to be more of a nervous tic than anything else, but maybe it was helping him with pace. I hoped it meant he was beatable.

It didn't.

I hung on his shoulder for about 600 meters and then I couldn't hang anymore. It didn't feel like he was pulling away, but his breathing was silent and mine was panting. I knew things weren't going great when the mile took ages to arrive. I tried not to let him run away from me too much, but 15 seconds became 20 and then the twists and turns of the course took him farther and farther out of my vision.

Third and fourth place were about as far back from me as I was from the leader. When I hit the two-mile mark and thought, "I could be done now," I started to wonder how this 5k was going to end.

I tried to press on. I glanced back a few times and watched as fourth moved past third and wondered if he was on his way to get me. I looked forward and did my best to make sure that wouldn't happen.

The final stretch was a climb and after an initial surge, I wilted a bit, but then in the last 150 meters, I willed myself to finish strong. The leader was about a minute and a half ahead and third was out of view and just under a minute behind, but I finished fighting off imaginary opponents.

I broke 19 minutes and am not all together surprised, but I sure would like to get in a few more runs and start moving the clock in the other direction. It doesn't work that way for age, but it can work that way for races, can't it?