Pioneer 5K 2010

Last Saturday was the Pioneer 5K in Seneca Park. There were 363 runners!

I did the race last year- it was actually my 2nd 5K ever, and my first for 2009. This is NOT a flat race. The 2nd mile is almost all UP hill, then there is a little bit of downhill before reaching the end of mile 2. The 3rd mile is difficult as you climb a little bit to run across the bridge that crosses over I-64. You get into the park fairly quickly, but you see the finish line forever!

This was my 2nd fastest 5K EVER! I counted and it was my 10th 5K. And remember, it wasn’t flat. I had low expectations before race time. It had been 5 days since my last run- whoops! And I almost got blisters on the back of my feet from Friday’s work shoes. I was a little worried that within minutes, I would get blisters- but that wasn’t the case!

I found some people early on that had a good pace and just tried to keep up with them. About half way through, there were 2 ladies that I remember from past races and I just tried to keep up with them. I was able to pass 1 at the end. The other lady was the winner in her age group: 65-69. Yeah, a 65 year old lady beat me!

My time was around 30:20, give or take a few seconds. Besides the 2009 Anthem 5K, that was my fastest 5K. Yeah, I think I already said that- but hey, I worked hard!

Afterward, they have lots of door prizes and awards- but I got a free massage while waiting!

I didn’t win a prize, but I did find an old neighborhood friend from where I grew up. We had not seen each other in 20 years! Wow! That’s the first time I’ve had that happen. Most people, it’s just been a few years, maybe 10. As a side note, I got just my invite to my 10 year High School reunion yesterday. Wow, I feel OLD.