Getting Ready For The First Rung

As I mentioned in a blog a while ago, one of my running goals is to progress systematically through the usually race distances in ascending order, beginning with the 5K. This weekend represents the first rung of the ladder as I head over to Morristown to take part in their St. Patrick's Day 5K.

My goal for the race is simple...get back on the saddle and feel good finishing a race along with completing the first step of my proverbial ladder. I'm not heading out to set a PR, instead my plan is to set, stick to and complete the race at a comfortably moderate pace. At this point, that pace is not all that fast probably between 7:00 and 7:30 minute/mile. But as I found with a little research, speed is relative...

Think about these two feats of human performance for a second:

1. Sammy Kipketer of Kenya holds the world record for the 5K road race set in 2000 at Carlsbad 5,000 where it took hip a whopping 13:00 minutes to cover the 3.1 mile course. That comes out to a 4:11/mile pace!

2. Another interesting 5K record is one set by Dustin McClure who ran a 5K in 20:06 (that's a 6:28/mile pace) while wearing a 40 lb rucksack. That's pretty impressive.

So, as I look to come in between 21:45 and 23:30 I simply feel humbled by the above performances, but more importantly I am amazed at the capacity and potential of the human body!

Let's hope I don't pull a hammy!