Happy birthday to the U.S. Coast Guard! Yes today is also Coast Guard Day and since I served for over 20 years as a Coastie, I am and always will be one and tip my hat to those who still serve.
Today was the day to also honor Ron Paquette, Maine Running Hall of Famer and fellow member of the Central Maine Striders at the Ron Paquette Riverfest 5K.
I have gotten to know Ron and Donnajean a lot better this summer while we have been volunteering during the Quarry Road Trail Series.
They are both fantastic people and a lot of fun to be around.
I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity to run in the inaugural event to honor Ron.
So how did the race go for me?
I did what I wanted, made it through another race, without hurting myself and had my best 5K pace post injury, so it was a successful run.
I am still out of shape and under restrictions when I run, so I try to behave myself for the most part or at least until at least August 26th, when I should be discharged from PT, but it is giving me some time to build up my base mileage again.
The course was very nice and had enough bumps to add in some challenge, that a straight flat course doesn’t do. The race directors Kassie and Kate did a fantastic job and it is a race that I plan to do again next year.
I started out a little faster than I planned because I didn’t want to get bunched up on the footbridge that crosses the Kennebec, and then I slowed to a more realistic for me now pace.
Once I settled into a nice pace, only a couple of runners many passed me and I passed a couple, otherwise from about the 1/2 mile point on I stayed pretty much in place.
My Achilles did act up a little while crossing back across the footbridge, so I forced myself to slow down on the road and even more when I got to the bump in Coburn Park,
until I got back to the last straight-away and did push a little harder than I have in a while.
What I notice the most is how even the pace was. Overall I ran a very controlled race and stayed close to the parameters that the PT has set for me (I am supposed to stay around 8:00 minute pace, so a 7:34 pace overall is close enough in my book) 
I am still being very conservative and when the heel started to tighten up, I slowed down just enough to stop it from bothering (if I go too fast it lets me know that I am being stupid in no uncertain terms). I don’t want to have to go through another recovery process, because I pushed too hard during a race and didn’t listen to my body. I promised my PT that I would only run the races, not race them, so I am trying hard to follow my promise.
I finished 14th overall and was very happy with the run..
Additional Runs
I did a 1.0 mile warm-up and then after we got done doing the green beans (that is the only problem with having a garden the product doesn’t just pick, chop and can itself).
Yes, I wanted to take out my new running shoes I got for my birthday (a few days early) last night to see how they felt. I was really liking them a lot, but about a quarter mile from the house the heavens opened up (it was pouring rain) and a about 1/2 mile down the road from where I was lightning struck with the corresponding boom that scared the shit out of me.
Needless to say, I turned around and hoofed it home pretty quickly. I have a feeling that the shoes will get their first real run in them tomorrow, but in the short distance I ran in them, I was very impressed!
