My first 5k ever

I've done 5 years of triathlon, 3 half-marathons, a 20k race, a 30k race and a staircase challenge, but today was my first 5k race. It was fun!

The race itself (La Jakours) is part of a local race circuit of about 20 races in the region. The vast majority of the runners are members of running clubs and they're all ridiculously hard-core. One thing I've noticed here is that no one does anything for fun - it's all taken super seriously and there isn't a lot of room for amateurs.

Before the start, I ran into one of my students from the tax centre so we chatted a bit while we waited. I couldn't hear a darn word the race director was saying at the beginning because everyone was talking and then all of a sudden the gun sounded and we were off. It was a 2.5km loop through a residential neighbourhood and it was pretty much flat the whole way. I did almost get hit by someone backing out of their driveway - not cool, people.

Compared to all the distance running I've been doing over the last year, this race went by so fast. I don't really remember too many details, to be honest. I pushed as hard as I thought I could get away with, without killing myself before the end. And it worked! As soon as I saw the finish line, I gave it everything I had left and finished in 27:18 (Garmin time). There was one girl I was neck-and-neck with for the last mile, but sadly she pulled away just before the finish and I couldn't catch her. Oh well. I'm really pleased with my time. Normally it takes me about 30min to do 5km, with 28:22 being my best time, so this is a huge improvement. I finished 5th in my age group and 74/97 overall.