I came out to the Atlantic City Boardwalk this morning, one week before I tackle the Philadelphia Marathon, to run the 5k race. I figured I'd run a nice, leisurely pace for a light workout.
Then it started.
I went out quick ... much quicker than I ever would for a longer race. Instead of a light training run, all of a sudden I was in race mode. And my ego loved it. (Gotta admit, there's nothing like the feeling of making your way toward the front of the pack.)
So I ran, ran fast, faster than I thought I would when I rolled out of bed this morning. I finished in just a hair less than 21 minutes for a little more than three miles. And it felt great. I haven't raced that short a distance in a long time; it felt good to air it out.
Now, I know a 5k has absolutely no connection to a marathon. You could run eight 5ks and still have another couple of miles to go. But it felt good to have a successful run. It'll help my mood as I spend the next week getting ready for Philadelphia.
Some people have asked why I'm running Philly instead of A.C. It's easy. When the Atlantic City Marathon was first scheduled, last month, I had a conflict. Philly was the next event that made sense for me to run.
But I'll tell you, for an event that was pushed back a month, the turnout was strong this morning. And, like any other event, it was fun. You feed off the competition, off the crowd and off the friends you meet and run with.
All in all, a good day. Here's hoping I can say the same thing seven days from now.
