U.S. Secret Service 5K

I ran in the U.S. Secret Service 5K this weekend and it was the first race I had run in since the 2004 White Rock Marathon. I originally signed up because they were suppose to have a lot of neat things for kids and I thought it would be fun to take the boys to it. Well, as things turned out the boys didn't get to go but I went and had a decent run. I ran it in 24 minutes 14 seconds which is not great for me but I haven't run in a race in quite some time, I had already run 3 miles that morning and been to the gym for an hour, so all things considered I was pleased with the time.

After I signed up, I came to the decision that I might use this race as the beginning of my training. (This next sentence might send shock waves through my house) I think I am going to train and run in my 6th marathon this year. Shelley won't be please with this decision because she isn't a fan of my marathon running, even though she is the one who got me into it.

I am turning 40 this year (expect more post on this subject in the next few months) and this will be my best opportunity to try and qualify for The Boston Marathon which is my ultimate goal. Since I am turning 40, I get an extra 5 minutes added to my qualifying time which makes it 3 hours and 20 minutes. This is not an easy thing to do and I don't know if I am capable but I keep trying. My best time ever is 3 hours 37 minutes so I have to trim 17 minutes off of my best time in order to qualify. Another way to put it in perspective is in the 5k I ran this weekend, I averaged 7 minutes, 47 seconds for the 3.11 miles. In order to qualify for Boston, I have to run 26.2 miles at a pace of 7 minutes, 38 seconds. Wow, when I think of it that way, it sure seems like a daunting task.