It's Friday, Friday!

This weekend, tomorrow actually, I will be running my first 5k of the year.  It is an event that both excites and scares me a little bit.  This year, I am leaning more towards the excites part.  Two years ago, in Missouri, I ran a PR of 15:09 in this event outdoors.  My indoor best is earlier in that same year of 15:20.  This year, I am going to break 15 minutes.  Physically, I can do it no problem.  It is the mental part that usually hinders me.  I have been doing great in workouts and have healed up from my ailments of last week.  It is just so easy to lose focus and run a few 37s instead of the prescribed 36 seconds per lap that it takes to run 15:00.  My plan is the same as usual, start out at a pace that may seem and feel slow but is really just about right.  After that I continue to move through the pack, passing confidently but not too quickly.  The race is 25 laps after all.  I will move up until I find a place that is fast yet comfortable and where I know the pace isn't too slow to get me to 15-flat.  I will sit there until the time comes.  That time is when I sense the finish line.  If I get to that point on pace there is nothing stopping me from my goal.  I am like most people and I can start and finish a race.  The hard part is the middle.  Especially that infamous third-quarter.  But I am going to push through it and continue to run 36s.  The best part of all, is that I am going to be doing this with my teammate, Gregory Beesley!

Look at those Beards!