GIVE N' GOBBLE 10K RACE REPORT

"The altitude on gmap-pedometer doesn't look too bad ... Honestly, it shouldn't be a problem."

-Thomas Graf, November 27th, 2013

How wrong I was. This ended up being much hillier than I expected when I was doing the preview and setting my goals. Honestly, I picked this race because I thought it would be flatter. Instead, it was the hilliest 10k I have run to date. I did, however, set a new PR. So I did very well.

The story of this race was kind of in the flavor of "death by a thousand paper cuts." There wasn't one or two big hills that you had to contend with, it was more of a constant onslaught of up and down with very few little flat sections. And they weren't little tee hee hee twenty foot inclines either, they were 40-60 foot climbs that were just freaking annoying.

Anyways, I got over to Sherwood High School at 8:20 and picked my bib and shirt up (free shirt for donating food). It was 36 degrees but I didn't really have time to go back to my car, so I kind of just bounced around and even took a little warm up jog. I ended up just putting the shirt I got over top the one I already had on. Nowhere else to put it and the extra warmth couldn't hurt.

The race started soon enough and I was feeling pretty good. I settled into the correct pace and was handling the hills at the start pretty well. My lungs were burning but my legs felt great the entire race. The really cold air didn't help the lung situation either. The race was fairly well put on... not the greatest direction at the 5k/10k split but if you were paying attention it was pretty clear.

During the second half of the race the hills started to add up. The fifth mile is what really killed me. Mostly uphill the entire way after getting worn down on the rollers leading up to it. Not fun. After that exhausting mile I really pushed the sixth and final mile and was proud I was able to run it so hard. The 5k walkers (mostly families, which was cool) did a very good job of staying out of the way, even when we merged onto a small trail.

The "already back to my car and realize I need
to take a picture" shot.

I sprinted into the finish and stopped my phone right at 45:00. D'oh! I was hoping for some relief with the "official time" but that ended up being the same right at 45 mintues. In retrospect that is a really awesome time for the course, but at the time I was kind of disappointed. I had a really bad side ache after I finished and kind of stumbled around the finish area for five minutes trying to catch my breath and settle that down.

Overall, I did a very good job. I'd say the hills were worth an extra 30-45 seconds on my time. I really ran this race hard and left it all out there. I'll look to do another 10k at some point in the future and actually maybe try to get a flat course this time, but until then, I'll be thrilled with a 56 second PR!

Overall Results: 45:00, 7:14/mile. 44/380 overall. 28/167 male, 8/29 M20-29.
Mile Splits: 7:02, 7:11, 7:12, 7:13, 7:38, 7:06.

GIVE N' GOBBLE 10K PREVIEW

Real quick preview for this one, the Give N' Gobble in Sherwood. Have to wake up in eight short hours to run it! I signed up for this 10k a month or so back wanting to set a new 10k PR. To date I've ran four 10k races and I don't feel like I've had a really good shot at setting my true PR yet. The reasons are:

Rum Run 2012 & 2013 - Course is long by a tenth of a mile, which is 45 extra seconds.
Great Pumpkin Run 2012 - Lack of training, hilly course
Pints to Pasta 2013 - Day after 20 mile training run

My record at the moment is 45:56 set at a long course at the Rum Run this last spring. Should the course been the correct distance, I would have clocked in just above 45 minutes. That course is also hilly, which can lend itself to longer times. So I really feel like I have a good chance to smash my old record. I think I am faster now and I know that I am in better shape.

The course itself tomorrow looks to clock in right at 6.22 miles. So no funny business there. The altitude on gmap-pedometer doesn't look too bad. Their elevation data is always ugly and jagged, but it gives you a general idea. Looks like a 100 foot climb in the first mile, kind of rolling after that, then a downhill final mile. Honestly, it shouldn't be a problem, but the course isn't quite as pancake flat as the Rivalry Clash.

The event itself should be fun. Last year they had a couple thousand people show up so it is a sizable thing. There are a lot of families that walk the 5k but the 10k is run only. There will be an issue because both races start at the same time and the 10k course merges back into the 5k course at mile 5. So I'll likely be dodging some walkers, The Walking Dead style.

Okay, goal time! They are as follows:

A Goal: Sub 44. Honestly, I don't know if I can do this. That is 7:05/mile on slightly hilly course. McMillian says I can run a 43:53 but that was based on my Rivalry Clash 5k time on a much flatter course. Really going to depend on those hills and how I am feeling.

B Goal: Sub 45. This is going to be a challenge and my main goal. This would take 7:14/mile. I think with this course that is a good number to shoot for. I'll be thrilled with something starting with 44!

C Goal: New PR, 45:55 or less. The fact that this is so low shows how much I'm challenging myself at this race. At minimum I'd like to set a new PR. I could be satisfied with that. However, I think I can go sub 45, so I'm really going to shoot for that.

Wish I had my watch already so I could pace myself better. I might have to pull my phone out once or twice to make sure I am hitting pace. Whatever happens, an awesome Thanksgiving with the family will follow, so for that, I am thankful!

GREAT RUN TO CAP A GREAT WEEK

Part of the northern part of Fanno Creek I had only run on once before. To the right is the Portland Golf Club.

Remember when I said the 8am start might be the only issue with the run on Saturday? I know myself too well apparently. My alarm went off at 7am to get ready for the run. I had a text from Alejandro, confirming my area of residence so he could hop a bus and I could drive us to the run. I guess his wife unexpectedly needed the car. By the time I was coherent enough to check my phone and respond the next bus wasn't going to get here in time. Oh well, I said, we'll just do a run later in the morning.

And back to bed I went. I could hear my phone buzz about a minute later. "Hey, my wife can actually drop me off! We back on?" to which I was like "Umm, no, I am back in sleep mode." Once the decision was made to not go I was not going to gather the will to actually hop out of bed and scramble to get there in time.

Instead, I slept in until ten and then arranged to meet him at PRC at noon for a run on Fanno Creek. I took a warm bath to extend my morning slumber and invited Matt along as well. To my surprise, he came, so the three of us ended up running twelve miles in what was a really awesome day! The Coach Jim run would have been really cold (starting in the high 20s, low 30s) but by the time we got started around noon it had warmed up to the mid 40s (over 50 by the time we finished) and the sun was out shining with nary a cloud in sight. Beautiful November day!

The run was a lot of fun. I honestly don't remember when I had such a good time on a twelve mile run. We were just chatting and took a relatively easy pace (9:20/mile). Felt really easy and we ran the northern part of Fanno Creek I had only been on once before. It was much better than running alone and the run seemed to fly by. It capped a really great week for me running wise.

Rollercoaster, intervals, and long run in 3 out of 4 days did leave me a little sore on Sunday. And honestly still a bit sore today. At run group tonight I'll probably do the five mile route instead of the seven miles. I have a 10k race on Thursday (preview next post) and I want to make sure I am as fresh as possible for that. Seven hilly miles on tired legs today probably wouldn't be the best!

ACTUAL TRACK INTERVALS

Can't wait for my watch! This still sort of tells the story though. First two intervals aren't as pronounced oddly.

Turns out I might have bashed Southridge High School a little prematurely. Maybe they just lock it up during the summer or were doing construction when I went there on a quest for a water fountain once. Anyways, long story short, I ended up running on their track last night.

I was really NOT looking forward to doing the neighborhood intervals again so I investigated the high school a little further on Google Maps. Looks like there was a small parking lot I could park in and investigate the fence situation. On my way home from work I swung by and saw that the gates were flung open and access to the track was granted. Score!

So I got home, changed, then headed back to the high school. It is less than a 10 minute drive so not too annoying. Once there, I hopped up to the track, which wasn't lit, but had enough ambient light from other sources that I could see. Others were on the track too. So apparently people do use it. The problem was, it was FREAKING COLD. Like 38 degrees and windy. Plus, I was running hard so I was sweating, which was not fun in that temperature!

Interval	400m Time	400m Pace	Rest Time	Rest Pace
#1	1:38.40	6:34/mi	2:16.41	9:06/mi
#2	1:35.58	6:22/mi	2:21.10	9:24/mi
#3	1:34.47	6:18/mi	2:18.74	9:15/mi
#4	1:32.51	6:10/mi	2:24.54	9:38/mi
#5	1:34.00	6:16/mi	2:26.68	9:47/mi
#6	1:36.58	6:26/mi	2:26.43	9:46/mi
#7	1:35.00	6:20/mi	2:29.87	9:59/mi
#8	1:30.87	6:03/mi	2:31.72	10:07/mi
Average	1:34.68	6:19/mi	2:24.44	9:38/mi

After about three intervals I really wanted to quit. Intervals suck. Even though afterward you feel like ripping open your chest to reveal the "S," they suck during. Especially in the cold and dark (once it gets sunny and warm again I'll complain about the heat). Anyways, I just kept convincing myself to do one more. One more and then I can fake a hammy injury. Eventually I "one more"ed myself to all eight.

Cool to see that after only four interval sessions my average time has gone from 6:41/mile to 6:27, then 6:25, and now 6:19. Kind of like when you start running and your average mile time drops like 5-10 seconds each time out. So I'm enjoying that "massive improvement" honeymoon. I know soon those seconds will be hard to come by but for now I'll take the improvements.

Had a great run on the seven mile rollercoaster on Wednesday night. Averaged 8:12/mile. Feeling pretty dang good at the moment. Much better than last week. Fourteen miles tomorrow with the Coach Jim running group. Never been, but I feel the need for some companionship on some of these long runs so I'll be tagging along with them tomorrow. Only issue is the 8am start. Ugh.

THIS IS THOMAS. HE DOES TRICKS FOR FOOD.

The Hollister Trail on Sunday. Pretty? Yes. Didn't help the not wanting to run feeling though.

I've basically come to the realization that when it comes to running I have been reduced to a trained seal. Last week was a struggle on the running front for a number of reasons. It all started with being pretty tired from my fifteen mile run last Saturday. By Monday I was feeling better, but I still wasn't super fresh. I then proceeded to hit the 7 mile hilly "rollercoaster" route at run group pretty hard, which felt decent at the time but left me pretty sore and achy.

On Wednesday I took my Dad to the Blazers game for his birthday meaning I missed Wednesday group run. That was okay with me because my legs felt trashed and overall I felt tired and groggy. On Thursday I still felt pretty crappy but forced myself outside because I didn't want to slack off for no good reason. If "not feeling like it" was a valid reason, I would hardly ever run. I was dreading the run so much that I wore headphones for the first time in a long time. I needed anything to mix it up.

After falling on my "recovery jog." Sucks.

I went out there to do a "recovery jog" type run and that I did. I averaged 10:27/mile and that is the slowest I have ever run since becoming "serious" around the Shamrock Run in 2012. It didn't feel that slow, but I turned the mile time readings off so I wouldn't feel bad about myself. Going that slow also didn't stop me from falling on my ass; although, I think the slow pace contributed to the tumble. I was just kind of dragging my feet, slogging along, when I hit a ripple in the sidewalk. Oww.

On Friday I felt a lot better (recovery jog ftw!) so I went out and did that same route 15 minutes faster. Averaged 8:07 a mile. Felt really good! Was a struggle to get outside again, but once I did, I hit it hard. So after that I felt okay.

Sunday was my long run day this weekend. I ended up settling on 12 miles since I felt the need for a "down week" as I was still feeling pretty worn. I really did NOT want to run on Sunday and the only thing that got me out the door was I told myself I would get Five Guys afterward if I did the run. So honestly that is about the only thing that got me out the door. Will do tricks for food.

The run was pretty terrible but I got it done. I ran circles on the Hollister Trail at Nike at a 9:30/mile pace. Seven times around that and then some farting around in the parking lot. 12 miles overall. Felt like 18. Couldn't stomach another run from my house on the same old trail. Overall I am not sure the repetitive laps were a better option, especially with the rent-a-cop patrolling the path puttering by every five minutes, but whatever. Afterward I limped into Five Guys and got my reward. Arp, arp. Good Thomas.

UPCOMING RACE SCHEDULE

November 28, 2013 - Give 'n' Gobble 10k Turkey Trot
Goal for this race will be to set a new 10k personal record. Should be a fairly flat course and I believe it shouldn't have that extra .12 miles like the Rum Run has. So I should set a record by a healthy margin. Goal is probably sub 45 minutes.

December 8, 2013 - Ho Ho 5k
I did this race last year. Don't expect to set a 5k record on this course. It's pretty hilly and parts are on mushy trails through the park. I'll still run it hard, but this one will be more "for fun." Would like to see maybe if I can get negative splits here... take it easy that first hilly mile and then attack the final mile through the flatter park area.

February 2, 2014 - Miami Half Marathon
Doing this run to support a friend in his effort to lose weight and start running. My weight loss experience coupled with running seems to have convinced him to give it a try at least. I told him I'd run the race with him if he signed up, not really expecting him to take up the offer, but he did and I am now flying to Miami to make good on that promise. Should be a ton of fun!

March 2, 2014 - Hot Chocolate 15k
The Tour de Crazy Big NW Races begins at Hot Chocolate in Seattle. This is tentative, but I am pretty sure Laurel and I agreed to do this one together. She'll be back living in the States and we thought it would be fun for me to come up and visit and do a race.

March 16, 2014 - Shamrock Run 15k
The second leg of crazy big 15k races brings the third year of doing Shamrock and then second year of doing the 15k. Goal will be beating my time from the year before. Embrace the insanity that is Shamrock! Shoot for sub 1:10 maybe?

April 4-5, 2014 - Ragnar SoCal Relay
Hood to Coast style race with strangers! Will be on a team with readers of the blog Runs For Cookies. Basically we all signed up to get in a van with complete strangers for 36 hours. We're getting to know each other beforehand online, but it should still be a crazy, fun time.

April 13, 2014 - Corvallis Half Marathon
Looking forward to doing this race again! Would like to run this race hard and possibly set a personal record for the half marathon, however, it will be the week after Ragnar so you never know. We'll also see how it works into my schedule because I have a much more important race in three weeks...

May 4, 2014 - Vancouver BMO Marathon
My second full marathon! Alejandro and I decided to do this race after Portland. I originally planned to do Eugene, but they moved that to the summertime, so Vancouver BC it is. It will be my first international marathon and should be a lot of fun.

Wow, that was more than I expected. Before I got this down on "paper" when thinking about the upcoming year I thought I had "a few" planned, but apparently it is more than a few. After May nothing is really set in stone, but I'd like to run either Chicago or Detroit in the fall... however, with the Miami race now, money allotted to this sort of thing is tight, so we'll see if I do those or just stick with Portland.

MY FIRST FIFTEEN MILE RUN... SERIOUSLY!

My fifteen mile route on Saturday's long run.

On Friday I had a big long debate with myself about what type of run I was going to do that night. My schedule calls for intervals but since I postponed my Thursday run to Friday, I no longer had a rest day before my long run. So, I thought about just doing an easy 10k instead. I was going to run fifteen miles the next day and I didn't want to burn myself out.

However, my goal is to set a 10k PR at the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and my focus this winter is supposed to be on speed. So I ended up making a compromise... I'd do intervals but I would only do 6x400 instead of the 8x400 I did the previous time. Honestly, it didn't make a ton of sense, but somehow in my head that alleviated my concerns of burning myself out for the next day.

They went pretty well. I wasn't feeling super great and was worn out from the week at work, but I got out there and did them. Started off pretty slow and was really questioning my abilities, but picked it up for the second half of the intervals. I didn't even make an effort to go faster, I was resigned to some "easier" intervals since I had the long run the next day, but apparently I did pick up the pace without really even putting too much extra effort into it. Maybe I just warmed up. The final interval was my first below 1:32 (barely)!

Interval	400m Time	400m Pace	Rest Time	Rest Pace
#1	1:37.21	6:29/mi	2:32.48	10:10/mi
#2	1:40.13	6:41/mi	2:37.38	10:30/mi
#3	1:38.37	6:33/mi	2:36.72	10:27/mi
#4	1:35.71	6:23/mi	2:31.89	10:08/mi
#5	1:34.03	6:16/mi	2:39.97	10:40/mi
#6	1:31.99	6:08/mi	2:38.56	10:34/mi
Average	1:36.24	6:25/mi	2:36.17	10:25/mi

Saturday I didn't wake up until about 12:15pm. It was glorious. I finally got my ass out the door around 1:40pm to run my fifteen miles. I was kind of doubting my abilities to run fifteen miles and was not looking forward to this run. I kind of worked it up in my head to something harder than it was. Once I started running I felt really good. Just took a nice leisurely 9:30/mile pace and enjoyed the crisp air. Unfortunately it was overcast so I couldn't really enjoy the sun, but it wasn't raining and it was light outside, so I'll take it.

Same old route over to Fanno Creek and then down that trail until its southern terminus past the Tigard Library. Nothing special to note really. Haven't done a long run with headphones for probably over six months now, which has been working for me, but the last few miles I could have really used a distraction. I wasn't too tired or worn out, just ready to be DONE. The last climb up Davies did wear me out a little and my last mile wasn't the quickest, but I just fought through it.

Funny to note this was my first ever 15 mile run. I did 15.4 back in June 2012, but that was when I was a long run virgin and didn't know what the fuck I was doing and didn't stop as soon as my phone logged the final mile I wanted. Other than that, I have a decent amount of 14 and 16 mile runs to my name. I know I am anal and like even numbers, but I didn't realize I had been avoiding the 15 mile run. Fives are okay! 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, and 20 are all gravy! Fuck the rest! Except 13.1... you are beautiful. I need to stop talking.

HELLO, WINTER. KINDLY GFY.

Outlook for next week.
Look at Monday. Hells yeah!

We ended up having a really awesome October here in Oregon. Normally October is pretty nice but for some reason I tend to clump it in with the "bad" months. It was a great month weather wise and I LOVED running outside during October. It was dry, the perfect temperature, the leaves were turning, it was beautiful, and so on and so forth.

Well, the honeymoon is over. Literally on November 1st it all went to shit (unlike on Halloween like when I was a kid). So for the past week I've really been struggling to get outside and do my runs. I've done them though and that is the important part. I've allowed myself to have flexibility as long as I end up doing my runs. Because of weather I switched my Monday run to Tuesday, and my Thursday run to Friday (tonight).

I've also missed group runs, which doesn't help. Monday I was late due to traffic and then just postponed to Tuesday because it was raining. And Wednesday night I had plans with friends for dinner and so I got there early and ran in circles near the restaurant until I hit five miles and then ate stinky (THAT is dedication my friends). These wet, dark runs will be a lot more tolerable if I run with other people, so I'll have to do my best to keep Mondays and Wednesdays open. That way I'll only have to do one weekday run alone instead of all three like this week.

Long run this weekend. Not feeling up to it, but I will do it. Just having a hard time adjusting to the season. Determined not to slack off because of it though like I did last year. So on Saturday I'll be doing 15 miles. I don't have anything else planned, so I'll probably sleep in, stumble out for a run around 1pm or so, then do an entire house cleaning. Should be a pretty crazy day.

RIVALRY CLASH 5K RACE REPORT

Me before the race. I'm sure I looked this good after too...

Had a lot of fun yesterday at the 1st annual Rivalry Clash race. Like I said, I signed up because there was a discount on Groupon so it ended up being only $25. Normally it's $50, which is pretty steep for a 5k with no beer or medals or anything, so I would only do it again if I were able to get a discount (or they lowered the pricing).

Saturday night/Sunday morning was the end of Daylight Savings so I ended up getting an extra hour of sleep. I stupidly went to Monte Carlo bowling Saturday night and had a little too much to drink, so I was not feeling so hot Sunday morning despite the extra hour. Kind of sabotaged my changes of an amazing race right there, but I loaded up on Tums and soldiered through it. Overall I don't think it hurt me too much, but it certainly wasn't ideal.

I picked Alejandro up and we drove to the Portland Expo Center for the race. The turnout was fairly even on both sides, maybe a few more duck fans, but the Beaver fans ended up winning the event overall, so HA! In my race 5 of the top 6 finishers were Beavers (spoiler alert... one of them was me).

The race course at the Portland Expo Center.

Anyways, the organization of the race wasn't the greatest, but it was alright. The guy who was MCing the event was HILARIOUS so that made up for that in my eyes. Eventually the 10Kers went off and then the 5K race lined up to go. They had pace signs for each minute pace from 5:00/mile to 10:00/mile. There was a kid lined up at the 5:00/mile sign for the Beavers and then nobody until Alejandro, myself, and a young woman at the 7:00/mile sign. Apparently this race wouldn't have the greatest field.

Before I knew it the gun went off for our race. I was very nervous before this race and I think it was because I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to PR, which I knew would be a challenge. Aside from the Portland Marathon, most my races had been for fun recently, so while I still ended up running near PR times, I wasn't pressuring myself like this.

I didn't feel super great when the race started. Take a look at the video linked right here. I am the second orange shirt that appears on the left hand side (darker one). Notice how I am kind of running like an old man/have a limp/giant stiff? I seriously was not feeling great! I probably should have done a warm up jog or something. It wasn't the free and easy feeling I was hoping for, but eventually after a quarter mile or so my body adjusted to the fact I was going to bomb a 5k.

The course was very flat and I was grateful for that. Most my 5k races have not been flat, so this was a nice break. It wasn't completely flat, there were some small rollers of 15 feet or so, but honestly in Oregon, this is about as flat as it gets. After passing a few people in the first quarter mile I settled into fourth place. Alejandro shot off ahead with two others so I was the first person after that lead pack.

Mile number one I ran way too fast. It came in at 6:29. That is the fastest mile I have ever ran and I was certainly feeling it. I knew I couldn't maintain that for two more miles, so it really was a matter of holding on for the best time I could. I got a little caught up in the PR and trying to stay with the lead pack for the first 500 yards or so. Oh well, in a race as short as a 5k going out too fast doesn't necessarily trash your race like it could in a half marathon.

Hey look, I am on the Leaderboard!

The second mile was a struggle and part of it was running directly into the sun. That wasn't fun because despite it being only 50 degrees outside, it felt way too hot. By then I had settled into my own pocket with only me and some girl about my age 15 feet behind me. The mile time came in at 6:51, which is kind of what I wanted to run except in even splits. Oh well, as long as my overall was below that then my first mile wouldn't hurt me.

At this point I was very ready to be done. Those mile signs seemed to be coming so slow. In some ways a 5k can almost seem as long as a half marathon because the whole entire race you just feel like dying. I could tell my pace was dropping off but I didn't care too much, I was just trying to keep going as fast as I could without passing out. At some point that girl behind me passed me and I was more than okay with that. Just concentrating on running my own race. Alejandro fell off the lead pack and was now being hunted by that girl as well. He was about 45 seconds in front of me at this point.

All told that third mile was hard but probably not as hard as the first mile. I had settled into a "want to die but I can hold onto this" pace and could smell the finish line. The whole race my legs felt heavy which is not typical for a 5k. Normally my legs feel pretty good and my lungs are holding me back. My lungs were still the ones screaming this time, but my legs weren't quite there like I would have hoped. Oh well. Just keep on chugging. It was a slight uphill finish to the finish line. I picked up the pace a little and secured fifth place.

Once I crossed the finish line I doubled over and tried to catch my breath (counter productive, I know). Alejandro was sitting down near the finish line looking pretty drained. We were both exhausted. I was way more wiped than the Corvallis race a month before. I had left it all out there and was very proud of my effort. Eventually we were able to stumble our way back to the main post-race gathering area. They had laptops set up so you could look up your time right there on the spot so that was very cool. I saw that my time was 21:08, a new PR by 37 seconds. Awesome!

Overall a very successful race. I hated every second during the race, but that is typical with a 5k. Once you are done the feeling is great and I was on top of the world for the rest of the day. I had a shiny new PR by 11 seconds a mile. Improving that much in the 5K is a lot of work! I'm excited to do another 5k in a few months after more speed training and see if I can get a sub 21 minute race. The focus now is a new 10k PR at the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving Day!

Overall results: 21:08, 6:48/mile. Mile splits: 6:29, 6:51, 7:09.

RIVALRY CLASH 5K PREVIEW

Tomorrow morning is the first annual Rivalry Clash 5K at the Portland Expo Center. I stumbled upon this race because it was on Groupon for a discount, and I'm a sucker for a 5k at a discount. Actually, there was a 10k option as well, but I knew I wanted to focus on speed this winter so I went ahead and signed up for the 5k.

This race should be a lot of fun because it is all about Beavers vs. ducks (I cannot capitalize their name, it gives them too much respect). When you sign up for the race, you either have to sign up for the Beavers or ducks team. Before the race starts, each team lines up in separate corrals and then when the gun goes off you run right toward each other before merging and heading off on the same course (basically you start at a "T" in the road). So hopefully no punches are thrown! I think it should be a friendly good time.

Eventually the first 100 finishers or so score points for their team, and whichever college has the most points is crowned champion, which means pretty much nothing, but still, you want to beat them! So hopefully I'll be finishing in the top 100 and scoring points for the Beavers. Regardless, it should just be a good time and extra motivating if there is a dumb duck in front of me to beat.

The course should be pretty dang flat. It is at the Portland Expo Center and I previewed the course a little bit on Google and it will be very flat. A few tiny movements in elevation, but nothing major. Definitely the flattest 5k I have ran. My two best times so far have been in Corvallis and that course is far hillier than what will face me tomorrow.

Overall, I hope it run it hard and leave it all out there. This race was kind of a last minute deal and so I'm not too worried about it, but still want to have a good race.

Goals:

A Goal: New 5K PR! 21:44 or less. I hope to achieve this, but I've only been interval training twice so I'm not entirely sure I'm any faster than before.

B Goal: Sub 22. This is 7:04/mile or less. Unless I feel like crap the morning, I think I can get this.

C Goal: Sub 24. While my main focus is sub 22, should something go wrong, just have fun and finish. While my muscle strain seems to be healing, it tends to rear up when I run fast, which I will be doing tomorrow. There is a reasonable chance it'll flair up and I'll have to ease off the gas.