2023 Celebration of Running 5k

The 2023 running season kicked off with the 2023 Celebration of Running 5k in Winter Park.

I have run this race three years in a row and love the experience.  It’s August in Florida so the heat and humidity are high, so this adds to the challenge.  I don’t run a lot of 5ks but this one remains on my list because it is flat and provides a training gauge for the year.

I never set out to run a PR here but want to test my physical and mental stamina.  The race crowd is not too large, so this helps when trying to avoid other runners at the start.

Decided to line up closer to the front pack of runners to give myself room to operate without having to dodge folks.  Still amazing that I know runners from when I lived in Oviedo.  It’s almost like they don’t know I’ve been gone 9 years now.

My race goal was to go out and find an even pace.  The secondary goal was to run faster than last year.  I met both of my goals and enjoyed the race from start to finish.

I found a couple of runners with great paces and decided to hitch a ride with them to challenge myself.  This was a fun activity since I train by myself.  It was great having others around to inspire me to find another gear.  Felt good enough at the end to leave my running companions and put in a good kick to complete the 5k.  Crossed the finish line in 28:50. 

Collected my medal, water, and banana before making my way to the beer garden.  Yes, we drink beer at 8:30 am after races.  We eat donuts too!  LOL.

This was week 2 of marathon training so needed to get additional miles in after the race.  Headed back over to the Seminole Cross Trail to complete my training with 6 miles there.  Got a total of 10 miles completed on the day.

Made my way back to the hotel to shower and find some real food.  Wanted breakfast so went by First Watch close to UCF for a huge pancake, eggs, and bacon.  Favorite meal when I eat there.

Feeling good about my training so far and look forward to a fantastic running season.  Heading to Virginia Beach again for the 2023 Virginia Beach 10-miler over the Labor Day weekend.  Should be fun getting back up to Virgina.

Will ramp up my marathon training when I return from Virginia.  Time to lock in mentally and physically to prep for my 26.2-mile challenge in December.  😊

What are you looking forward to?