Team Asha 5K/10K

Date : March 18, 2007
Location : Shoreline Park, Mountain View, CA
Race : Team Asha 5K/10K
Time : 22:33

My first 5K in almost 3 years. What a difference lack of speedwork makes!

I have enjoyed myself the past couple of years running ultramarathons without worrying about time. I substituted speedwork and training runs at a particular pace with long runs done purely for the distance.

I showed up at the inaugural Team Asha 5K/10K run to demonstrate my support for their cause.

My plan was to run/walk with Anu and Sam in the 5K but decided to run the distance as a race almost at the last moment.

I met a whole lot of folks from 2005 and 2004, people I had coached during my stint as a Team Asha coach (4 years, from 2002-2005). It was fun reconnecting with them.

The race started at about 9:20 a.m. The first mile felt a bit uncomfortable. I had not warmed up but had spent time chatting with friends. Mile marker 1 came and went by in 6 minutes 15 seconds. I was the first person to split from the 10K runners so I knew that I was in first place at that time.

(Anthony overtakes me)

Just before the 2 mile marker (it took a long time in coming; I believe the 2 mile point was actually more like 2.1 miles), Anthony Vendhan overtook me. He looked strong while I was fading. 2.1 miles went by in 15 minutes.

(Jose and I battle in the last few steps)

The final stretch, with the Finish line visible straight ahead, was about 0.3 miles long. I could see Anthony powering up ahead. I continued to lay it all out on the line and was 4-5 paces from the Finish when a runner named Jose zoomed past me into 2^nd place. What a race he must have run!

I finished in 22:33, a minute and 27 seconds slower than my 2003 5K PR of 21:06.

I was happy as I always am. Running is a gift and I am always happy to start and finish a run without injuries.

(The 5K trio above)

The race was a lot of fun. I hung around for the award ceremony (I got a $20 gift certificate from Sports Basement for my 3^rd place finish).