This weekend I will be running in my fourth Shamrock Run 5K. Looking back at the first one, back in 2004… I had fun, I finished in 35:04, and I weighed just a pound or two less than I do right now. Who was I? Who am I now?
Sunday, I’ll be running with different friends than previously, and I’m a much better runner than I was. Though still not Olympic-caliber, as I like to say. I’m in better shape, I eat better (most of the time), and I can run longer distances.
In fact, I’m going to treat this race as just another training run. The race I’m more concerned about is the Bridge to Bridge 10K in two more weeks. I’ve run the Bridge to Bridge 5K once or twice, but have always wanted to do the longer race because it’s the only foot race that goes over the Fremont Bridge. That’s a challenge. It’s especially a challenge because I haven’t done any hillwork in months. I’m going to have to work some in over the next two weeks…
Mainly, though, I’m going to use the B2B to see how well I can run 10K, and use it as a guide to help me prepare for a 10K later this year. I want to hit personal bests in both 5K and 10K this season. A PB in the 5K would be faster than 28:06, which I did just last year. But I have yet to break under an hour in the 10K, which is my goal. I’m sure I can do it, and maybe even do it by a significant amount – but I need to train for it.