Race Report: 2013 Mermaid Run 5k

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I wondered what would happen to this all-women race series after gushing about how great it was two years ago. I'm happy to say the only thing that's changed are the crowds - they've grown considerably in the past two years for the Mermaid Run half marathon, 10k and 5k.

Last time I did the 10k, this time I downsized to the 5k. All three courses are pancake flat since you essentially run loops or out-and-backs  through the Mission Bay Park complex. It isn't a closed course, and as with my previous race, there was a lot of weaving and pulling up short once you were on the Mission Bay sidewalks. Even though it cost me some seconds, I'm okay with it.

There's a reason I haven't been writing as much about my running; I don't run as much as I used to. That's by design. So even though you are supposed to run your heart out at a 5k pace, it was okay for me to have a time goal that was doable but with a decent dose of discomfort. That I had when I crossed the finish line in 29:07 (9:23 pace), feeling squeamish. I'm curious to see where I fell in my age group since I didn't realize until the midpoint turnaround that I was ahead of a lot of people, and from then on only one much younger woman passed me.

This year's T-shirt and finisher's necklace are nice. Actually, I love the fabric on the technical T ... not the flimsy, let's-show-every-single-body-flaw stuff so many races now give out.

The run was followed by a great breakfast at The Blue Pearl Cafe, which reminded me of my marathon training days. I saw the group on the course, but I was in the zone...or trying to avoid colliding with walkers three astride.

All in all, a great morning to do something different since I don't race as much as I used to. That's by design too.

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