Race Recap: Remarkable River Run 5k 9/23/18

Sunday 9/23/18 was the Remarkable River Run 5k/15k and also the last race of the Remarkable River Run Series for 2018. I love running on this course because it's a flat, out and back, and it's also close to where I live. I had a goal time in mind which was lofty but achievable based on my training times. The 5k started at 7:00 am which meant I got to see the beautiful sunrise on the river and hopefully beat the heat too. 

Mile 1 6:20
Sometimes in racing you have to be adaptive and this was one of those times. I wanted to start this race fast and keep it going. Well I did not start fast at all. I just felt slow and struggled to get going for some reason. Maybe it was early, didn't warm up enough? Who knows. The fact that I couldn't run very fast meant I had to change my strategy and really maintain my pace. I knew if I slowed down any I could have a really bad finishing time. 

Mile 2  6:34
I knew after the turn I had to keep checking my watch and maintaining my pace which I did for the most part. I felt slow but I also knew I could keep the pace up for another two miles. I think I just told myself mentally there was no way I could slow down because I was already going way slower than I needed to. 

Mile 3  6:32
Well look at this my third mile was slightly faster than my second. I was kind scared of the clock at this point but was happy to see I could still make it under 20 minutes if I pushed. Having the music here really helped out, and I'm glad I discovered this tip. 

Mile .10  6:10
Once again I have to work on my final kick at the end. It needs to be 5 minutes range not the 6's. That saves valuable time on the clock. When I crossed the line, the clock was somewhere in the high 1950 range so at least I broke 20 minutes. 

Thoughts
I have so many mixed feelings about this one. Well the good news is I was able to get under 20 minutes on a bad race and not blow up on the last mile as much. The bad news is I didn't run my best and I felt off. I have to work on my speed for the upcoming races. It can be overwhelming to think of how far I am away from my goals, but these things take time and effort. This was a super, fun race. They always do a great job with organizing it and the after-party/breakfast after. 

Results
Time: 19:56
Pace 6:25
Overall: 4th out of 140
1st Overall Female

The Swag
This event also has some of the best race swag. The awards/finisher medals are superb and the shirts and super soft and pretty.