2011 Run 4 Independence

In 2005, 2006 and 2007, Sharon, Jack and I ran the Run 4 Independence on the Fourth of July in Elk Grove Park. This was the first three years of race. This year, they moved the race to the weekend before the Fourth of July weekend.

Leaving Jack asleep in bed, Sharon and I went to the race. Standing at the starting line, my garmin GPS died; it was out of battery. I almost never run without the garmin. The custom screen that I have shows me the pace for the entire run as well as the pace for the current mile. Once the race started, I had no idea how fast I was running.

This year's course as a double loop through the park and around Elk Grove High School. It was the fourth different course that they have used in the four times that we have run the race. I didn't enjoy this course.

It has been five years since I ran a 5k by myself. In the 2006 Run Against Pain, I ran a 53:07 for a pace of 8:34 per mile. I finished the 2011 Run 4 Independence in 53:37 for a pace of 8:38 per mile. Overall, I was pretty pleased with that result. I think that I could have carried a little more speed.