I ran a local 5 mile race this past weekend and had a great run. The field was pretty small, only 211 runners. It was a fast race, despite the hill. The first place runner finished in 26:57. My time was 43:49, middle of the pack. I ran my best, and 8:46 minute mile average. Still stuck at middle of the pack. Oh well, at least I’m unleashing my racing effort now that I’m getting a handle on what I can do. Next year I’ll do a lot better in this race. On Sunday I was back out there and ran 8.58 miles. Yes, my legs hurt later that day but a good night’s rest did the trick and today I felt great.