5k @ Zoo - March4Meals - 3.1m

3.1 m at 7.68 pace w/ HR 181

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1st mile in 7.77 @ 173

2nd mile in 8.12 @ 184

3rd mile in 7.25 @ 185

extra in .68 (6.80 pace) @ 189
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I tried a new (for me) warmup technique prior to this race where I did some steady jogging for a good 10-15 minutes prior to get my HR up. The thinking is that doing so will not only looosen up the muscles but also allow me to avoid the "shock" of the sudden HR spike in the first mile or so of the race. I was monitoring my HR at the start line and it never dipped below 100, mostly because of my warmup plus the jogging-in-place that I was doing. I think it helped because I don't remember feeling that strange "choking" and "hard to breathe" sensation that I get in the first mile of races, when I'm trying to settle into my race pace.

As to the disparate splits, this course has a middle mile that is pretty hilly and narrow (i.e. nature trail pathways). So, the hills slowed me down some, but it was mostly the jackrabbits that slowed down and decided to walk this section, consequently getting in the way. I actually had to climb/jump over a huge rock to make a pass at one point. :)

I did vastly improve upon my race time from the previous year (by over a minute) even though my average HR really jumped (by over 12 bpm). I guess I can attribute that to the pre-race warmup as well as better HR conditioning this year (?). I know that I had more "kick" at the end of the race than last year, and I felt like I passed more people too.

P.S. This was within 6 seconds of a 5k PR for me.