16:46

If you've been running with me the last couple of weeks you know that I am eagerly waiting the opportunity to run a 5k. I really just want to test my fitness and see where I'm out and then figure out what I need to be doing. So after the joke of a 5k down in Austin, next on the calendar was the Wacky 5k up in the west loop of Chicago.

I had actually probably been taking it more seriously than I should have but I wanted to run fast and this was a course that after gmapping it several times, I trusted. There were to be 800 to 1,000 runners so there should be a good group of local talent that would maybe keep the race interesting and we could all run fast.

Mile 1: I didn't know any of the guys on the front line except for Brent and after the gun went off I quickly realized he was not racing this but rather pacing someone. So in the first mile there were about 10 or so guys that all kind of showed their faces up front but nobody was really being that aggressive. Two guys did gap a small pack (with me in it) towards the end of the first mile. I was still feeling pretty conservative and wasn't ready to commit to running with those guys quite yet. About a 10 - 15 meter gapped opened up. 5:22

Mile 2: Slowly my small pack broke up and I was left alone in third. About 1/4 mile into the second mile some guy came rolling up on me like there was no tomorrow. I know these types of guys. He is the guy that in his head was saying "ok, I went out smart and these 3 guys are idiots for going out hard, now they're dead and I'm going to ruin them." I love these types of runners because they think they are the only ones that run smart, they are overconfident and they have EVERYTHING to loose. I jumped on his tail and we rallied back up to the two leaders. Us four bounced around quite a bit trying to get everyone else to take the lead and break the wind. I conveniently never found myself in that situation. 5:25

Mile 3: Overconfident Guy is the first to drop off. Farewell and better luck next time. Leader Guy, who I think is clueless to the whole concept of drafting as he pushed the pace from the front most of this mile, is quickly gapped when Surger Guy starts randomly throwing in sprinting sessions. I kept covering everything he was doing and just kept thinking that we will just have to wait and see on the final stretch. The suddenness and how drastic his surges were really made me think this guy was still pretty fresh. He zigged and zagged his way through the last 1/2 mile. We came to the final stretch and I was ready to roll. I turned it on and he was out the back in the first 20 meters of our final 150 meter showdown. Not quite the dramatic finish I was thinking would happen. 5:58 (1.1 miles)

This was not the race I was looking for but I did get the W and it was a good time (experience that is). These were the conditions that we were greeted with on Sunday morning. It was also 15 degrees, 20 mph winds and windchills down to 8 degrees. Not ideal so I guess I will take it.

Props to post race activities at Michaels.

Also props to fotojack.com for not stamping "PROOF" across this photo.