Walk Away 5K Report

I ran my first 5K this Saturday, the Walk Away 5K in Hays benefiting the Northwest Kansas Domestic and Sexual Violence Services. Technically, it wasn't a full 5K (the guys wearing Garmins reported it was about 2.75 miles), but close enough. I finished in 23 minutes, 48 seconds. Had it been a full 5K, I probably would have finished in about 27 minutes, which is about what my goal was. Originally, my goal had been anything under 30 minutes; then I lowered it to 27 1/2 minutes based on my training runs. So I guess I came in about 30 seconds under my goal. I think I could have run a little bit faster. I held back a little because I was afraid of running out of energy and then getting passed by all the people I had passed earlier, which would have been totally humiliating. When I finished, I felt like I could have kept on going for a while, which I think means I was holding back. I was in the top 20 out of 70, which I consider a success, even if I did get totally smoked by a guy in his 50s or 60s. And several women in their 60s. Oh well, not bad for my first race.