Another Improvement in Run Times for Bank of Guam Run for the Red 5K

I swear, the course for the American Red Cross 5K must have been short because I find it hard to believe I dropped nearly 2 minutes off my run time. I ran this 5K in 27:09. Of course, it was a relatively straightforward course that didn't require making multiple turns around the block in Hagatna. It was also set up counter-clockwise, so I had difficulty figuring out where I was in terms of landmarks and where I could safely speed up, knowing I would have enough oomph to finish the race.

Two jog strollers passed me by this time, but when they're pushed by men who are at least 6 feet tall and have legs that end at my neck, well, I know I can't compete. However, I did hear one jog stroller behind me that pushed me the whole way. Every time I heard the creak and whirr of those hideous plastic wheels on pavement, I sped up. I heard a male voice say, "You need to loosen up. You're running like a boxer all tight." I imagined this person running and giving advice to me the entire race and I think that might have been what pushed me forward. However, it was a fast race overall as the third place finisher, Marie Benito, finished in 18:52. She placed first in my division, the master. I don't think I've ever run faster than 6:21 splits and that was when I was running 4-6 miles a day and about 20 years younger so I'd really have to put out some effort to be truly competitive.

Drew also improved his run time, but I'm not certain it's correct. He says it is 25:34, but that would only put him 7 seconds better than his best. I would like to think he also ran faster this time. I'll wait until the PDN prints out the race times.

We also ran the 3.5 mile Rainbow Run last Saturday. My run time was 33:25, which equates to about a 9:30 split. As long as I keep dropping my splits, I'll be very happy. Because more competitive runners were off challenging themselves with the Hafa Marathon, I managed to snag third place in my division. Not bad! And Drew got 5th place in his division. I wish I would have taken a picture of him standing with the boys who were all a foot or more taller than him.