My first 5K road race in two years

Sunday morning, the day after Halloween, I awoke at 4am to drive up to Boca Raton for the Citibank 5K- in conjunction with the PBA Half-Marathon. since the start time was 6:30 am, I needed to be up early. As you know, Sunday began Eastern Standard Time, so I set my alarm an hour early, just in case the clock wasn't smart enough to change on it's own. My wife's alarm clock changed last week- it's a little older and has the old dates built in.

So, what about the race? I arrived in Boca on time. But I was so worried about being there at the right time, I forgot to wear my watch. More about that in a bit.

It's great to run a road race. On most days, I run in my neighborhood, and many days in the dark, before sunrise. I only pass by a few people on my route- doing my best to avoid cranky dogs! But at a road race, there are hundreds of people all out there to run the same route with you. It's encouraging to see all these people. There are even children that run with their parents!

Back to my watch. When I train, I wear my watch and my iPod. I know how I'm doing by how my split times are at 1/2-mile, 1 mile, 2 miles, etc. Sunday I didn't have either with me. I pace myself with some folks that ran slower than my normal pace, but I didn't know it until I heard my 3 mile time. That's when I sprinted to the finish. Since Sunday, I've sliced over 2 minutes off my best time. It pays to keep track of your progress. Something I always stress in my Health & Wellness Coaching

My next race will be the Turkey Trot 5K at Tropical Park in Miami. I can bet I'll wear my watch!