Fit2Run 4 Mile Race

There is a local store here called Fit2Run. As the name implies they are a running specialty store. Yesterday morning they put on their annual 4 mile race and of course I just had to run in it. It was held at Okeeheelee park, which is one of the many county parks here. The course was really nice staying mostly on the bike path and going around the lake. Anyway, I finished in 28:32 which gave me a pace of 7:08 per mile. Not a bad time but I would love to find a way to get faster. I am happy with the way I ran the race though. In the past I found that I would tend to go out too fast in the first mile and then fade as the race went on trying to just hang on and finish. I have learned to impose my self discipline and control my speed at the start. Yesterday I ran what I would call even splits but in actuality they are slightly negative splits. Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 7:11

Mile 2: 7:09

Mile 3: 7:05

Mile 4: 7:01

In addition to this, the race was a club challenge. See, I belong to a running club called The Wellington Runner's Club. There are several other clubs in the area but the biggest one is the Palm Beach Road Runner's. The race is scored based on your place within your age group. Three points for first, two points for second, and one point for third. The club with the most points gets the coveted trophy and of course bragging rights for the year. We scored 26 points which was not good enough for the win. Actually we weren't even close. The Palm Beach Road Runner's are a much larger club and they scored 61 points. I guess we'll have to endure the banter for another year.

My ankle has still been bothering me so I have considered taking some time off from running. Actually I have committed to taking at least this week off. However, I will need to go to the gym and cross train. I can't explain how hard it is to stop running. I love it so much that I am willing to run through pain rather than not run at all. I'll probably be going stir crazy this week. I hope I don't drive my family crazy this week.