Over the last couple of weeks, my training has not been the greatest. This was due in part to the fact that we had a magazine deadline and a race we were putting on happening at the same time. Why we scheduled it that was is beyond me, but we did.
So, needless to say, I needed something to get me back into the training mood. What better way than to run some 5K’s to gauge my current fitness? Rocket Hog Racing in Boulder was putting on a 5K on a Tuesday night so I decided to go up and run it as a tempo run.
This 5K is one of six races on six consecutive Tuesdays. It is sponsored by Reebok and Fleet Feet Boulder. It is called the Dash and Dine 5K series, mainly because you run 5K and then get to pig out at a BBQ afterwards! What a great way to spend a Tuesday night. I have always loved running races on weekdays. Especially when there is some kind of party afterwards. You get a good workout in and then have some fun.
The races in this series start on the dirt path between Coot Lake and the Boulder Reservoir. We ran from there across the two dams and then came back. John Supsic of Boulder darted to the front and never looked back, setting a new event record of 15:49 over the flat and fast 5K course. Diane Bussa of Broomfield set a blistering pace from the beginning as well. Lucy and I finally caught her at the turn-around, but that is where she picked it up and dropped us both (it didn’t help that Lucy kept going and I had to slow up to wait on her to turn around. I guess out-and-back courses are tougher for dogs to figure out).
On the way back, Lucy and I tried to catch a lot of people, but the lack of training started to kick in. We both were unable to pick it up and just tried to maintain pace, crossing the finish line in tenth in 18:07. After Lucy jumped into Coot Lake to cool off, we headed over to Tom Watson Park (just across the street) for some grub. Lucy loved the two hot dogs that she got and Jessica and I got some great hamburgers! I also bought some of Justin’s All Natural Peanut Butter. It was really good and I eat PB&J sandwiches all of the time, so it will fit well in our pantry.
I am already looking forward to next week, when I can see if I can get under 18:00 after a good week of training.
