Gusher Gallop

This was my second 5k after returning from a long layoff. The first was the Redbud which was literally my first time at running 3.1 miles in over 4 months. Today's event was held at Lake Hefner and sponsored by the Society of Petroleum Engineers. They put on a great event. My goal for this race was to beat 24 minutes which would have been a 50 second PR from my best 5k (which was the last 5k I had run almost a year before). I felt good and for once focused on pacing. I kept my friend Reese in sight but tried to stay 200 yards or more back knowing he was quite a bit faster than me. Towards the last third I really found myself using my watch to measure pace because I found myself appearing to slow down time wise without feeling like I had dropped the pace. I was really struggling the last K to hold on in heavy headwinds and was closer to the finish than I realized. Once I realized how close I was I began to sprint for the line around the last turn. I finished in 23:09 so I'd say it was a good run and you certainly blame most of that on my faulty "runners math" in the last 1/2. After the event I got the opportunity to reconnect with some Friends and stayed for the breakfast and raffle. Overall a great event and one that further instilled some much needed confidence after a long off season.