Race - 5K - 5-30-09

I ran the ALS H.O.P.E. Race on Isle of Palms. This is a 5k race on the beach. There were almost 700 finishers.

The weather was great. It was a little hot, but not very humid. The sand was hard for the most part. The race started at 6:30pm.

This was a really nice run. But not one of my best races. My time of 24:25 was not a PB. I had a great first mile and my halfway split was a little over eleven minutes. I really should have been under twenty three minutes at the end.

I just did not feel like I gave it much at the end. I fell off my pace after the turn around. In an effort to shave a few seconds off my time I did not get water during the race (not smart).

I thought my first mile would be slow because I was trying to get around so many people (runners and people just walking on the beach). The fact that my first mile was not too bad should have given me a little push, but I tend to sit back and get into a relaxing run instead of racing.

So the question is: How do I get my mind to let my body go fast for a longer period of time?

I am going to run two or three more 5k's this summer and I am either going to break twenty three minutes or I am going to puke in the middle of one (either way, I think I will be happy)...