Nutley Kids Fun Run and 5k on May 3

Booming with confidence off a sub-30 minute 5k last weekend in Belmar, I had been spending the week carefully planning all activities and diet, in an effort to not sabotage any chance I had of breaking 30 minutes on a course far more challenging than the flat, treadmill-like route at Lake Como. Growing more eager to have his own share of fun was Max, who would be participating in the kids fun run for a 3rd year in a row.

The fun run, which started around 8:45, had only five participants, including Max. Obviously running against kids much older, the goal was to finish, not win. He did just that--woohoo! Adding to his finish, he amusingly took advantage of a photo opportunity by giving Lynn the 'thumbs up' as she took his picture.

The 5k started shortly afterward. Unlike Belmar, the Nutley 5k has several uphills and downhills to negotiate, another concern of mine. However, offsetting the grades of the course was the cool, misty weather--a plus! As the race started and the crowd exited the oval, I settled into a pace I thought was manageable. Little did I realize at the one mile mark that I was running close to 7 miles per hour, a pace I'm pretty sure I cannot sustain for a 5k. Maybe I shouldn't have seen the time, because shortly after I saw it, I felt signs of fatigue (power of suggestion, who knows). I slowed the pace significantly, and tried to bring my heart rate down a bit. At the two mile mark, I was just shy of 19 minutes, so I knew that a sub-30 minute 5k was in reach, if I could pick up the pace just a bit. I did, and found myself in the last half mile bunched up with about three other runners, all of which took turns vying for position. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it ratched up my pace. In the end, I crossed the finish line at exactly the same time as another runner in 29:20, another personal best! For icing on the cake, the post-race awards ceremony and raffle were rather profitable, as both Max and I won prizes enough to recoup the cost of registration!!

More races to come this year! Stay tuned!