Redhook 5k

This late-start race (11:00) seems to always fall on an unusually warm day. This is of course good news for those celebrating Memorial Day weekend in a non-running fashion, but for the past three years has always made the 3.1 mile race slightly uncomfortable, to say the least. Of course, after the hell that was the 90 degree heat of last year's Chicago Marathon, I suppose I have nothing to complain about. I managed a chip time of 25:35, but with splits all over the place. I crossed the first mile marker at just shy of 7 minutes (6:59), a commendable split but one I knew I would pay for in the next two miles. I was actually quite pleased to cross the second mile marker at 16:20, because even though my pace had dropped significantly to just over a 9 minute mile, it still averaged out to keep me right on pace for my 25:13 goal (my stepdad's chip time from 2007). The last 1.1 miles dragged me up several grueling hills, however, and were exacerbated by the heat, causing me to slow my pace and cross the finish line about 20 seconds over my goal. While disappointed, I still knocked 25 seconds off my 5k time from last weekend. I even made it out of the chute and back as a spectator in time to see my sister and stepdad cross the line in 28:57, a great time since their goal was 10:00/mile and the heat made each mile go that much slower. I was sure to pump her up afterwards with a quick reminder that the marathon (161 days away) was a mere 9 times what we had just run. We polished off our race with some free Redhook Longhammer IPA (Steve's favorite beer!), and with that, marathon training season has officially begun.