Last Saturday, I ran in the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis held in Pacific Grove.  It was another great event in PG – with a great variety of runner levels and the weather was fantastic!  The course was along the coast and flat (Elevations: MIN: -1, MAX: 37), which resulted in a great time for me.  Did I mention “along the coast?”  With a view like the one below, you know it’s gonna be a great run:

The event was very organized and the pre/post-race SWAG and food was pretty good!  The event raised $53,000 for the Arthritis Foundation, which was cool as well.

My Race

This was my fourth 5K and, as I become more experienced, I’m starting to see the “thinking” side of running.  I find both the tactical and strategic aspects very engaging – it’s not just about thought-free, forward, all-out movement.

K and I made a day out of it and our two best friends came along.  We left at 0600 (catching the lunar eclipse on the way) and got to PG in time for me to avoid the bib pick-up lines and for K and our friends to hit a local bakery for some goodies.

The Kids 1K Elf Run went first and then the 5K started – right on time!  Learning from the last few races, I started toward the front of the pen to avoid walkers – OK and maybe I’m getting a little braver.

With the requisite bells on my Reeboks and a Santa hat on my head, I hit my Garmin’s START button at 0859 and headed out for the out-and-back run from Lover’s Point, along Ocean View Boulevard, toward the Point Pinos Lighthouse. My goal for this race was to keep my sub-30 minute time, but also run at a little faster pace (and time) overall.    My thought was, “I’m training, let’s push it a bit on the organized runs.”  At home, as I reviewed my Garmin data, I see that I ran pretty consistent splits: 8:21, 8:15, and 8:26.

Results:

This was a “personal best” by 1:15 on the time and :24 on the pace!

Garmin time: 25:30 at an 8:18/mile pace.
Official time: 25:38at an 8:16/mile pace.

Wrap-Up

Very happy with my results. I remained sub-30 minutes, controlled my pacing, and had a “personal best” day.

Post-race breakfast was yummy – banana/pecan pancakes from Toasties!

Next up:

The Brazen New Year’s Eve event.  While it’s tempting to jump to longer event runs (given my training distances), I’m sticking with my overall plan and only doing 5Ks for now – building a good base.

I start my 10K training plan on December 13th, with my first organized 10K being Brazen Racing’s Bay Breeze on February 18th.

Giddy-Up!