Legal Runaround 5-K 2016

  Having suffered a strained right hamstring this winter to add to my previous knee problems, this winter was probably my most frustrating "off-season" in quite some time.
   Suffering the hamstring injury doing mile repeats in January, I had to defer my entry in the annual Long Branch Half-Marathon this year. I also missed about two months of running, sustaining my cardiovascular fitness with the rower, StairMaster, or elliptical machine.
    I began slow running in the beginning of April, and only about three weeks ago was able to complete my normal, hilly six-mile course.
    Obviously, my expectations were down for this years edition of the Legal Runaround 5-K, held annually the Thursday night before Memorial Day weekend. It was my first race of the Spring, and did it as an experiment to see if it was really feasible to run hard at all right now.
    Temperatures were in the high 80's, which I like, and I did a good warm-up of high-steppers, kicks and lunges to really work all the leg muscles. My hamstring did twinge at the start, but got no worse as we went along.
     Since it was my first race since October, and I hadn't even done speed work in five months, I had no idea of my pace was good or bad in the first mile. As in the other races, little kids are speeding by you at the start, and I've always had a hard time gauging the beginning of races.
     I was pleasantly surprised when the clock read 6:40 at the first mile split. I was in oxygen debt, almost from the first step, and just tried to maintain my place (I have to pass someone for whoever passes me!) in the race of about 225 people for the second mile. I felt I'd be happy breaking 14:00 for the two-mile, and barely did so, at 13:51.
    The crowd spread out by the third mile, and I stayed back and forth with a couple of people, really trying not to totally fall apart. I got between two other runners over the last half, and that helped maintain a semblance of pace. They out-sprinted me up the little incline at the finish, but I was not disappointed in my 22:04 time, good for 28th overall.
     There's a buffet from Verve restaurant after the race, and a raffle that gives gift certificates to many of the better dining establishments in Somerville. While my various aches and pains are still an issue, I felt this was a decent start to my summer racing season, and a fun, well-organized event!