Hermes Pigskin Classic 5K - Race recap

I don't run many 5Ks as I really am not a fan of them.  A race at this distance really doesn't do much for me.  I am not fast, so I have no chance of being competitive and at 3.1 miles.  I feel like I have wasted a training day that I could have ran/road more on.  With that said, there is one 5K that I will do every year.  That is the Pigskin Classic.

This race takes place on West 6th Street in Cleveland, Ohio.  For those of you who are not familiar with the area.  The street is 2 blocks of bars.  The race takes place prior to the Ohio State vs Michigan game.  Sorry Yankee/Boston fans, but this rivalry is the best in sports.  This involves a huge tailgate party, a 5K, and then every heads to the bar to watch the game.

I arrived about an hour early on Saturday and ran into one of the oddest parking situations.  The lots were not letting all the runners park as the were saving the spaces for the town's winterfest that afternoon.  Seriously? My money is just as good as theirs.  So, I finally found a spot and met up with my fellow #dirtyrunner pals @theheldawg and @Johnsemilia.  It was exciting as their wives where doing the race as well.

The start time quickly approached and I made my way to the start.  I really had no expectations for this race.  My main goal was not to get hurt before the Las Vegas Half Marathon next weekend.  I started the race strong with the first mile at 7:12 and did the second at 7:30.  I was feeling really good and hit the final hill and lost a bit of time as I came upon a block of traffic.  I finally got through the traffic and hit a pot hole on the final turn.  This freaked me out a bit and I decided to take it easy to the finish.  My time was 24:23.  I am really happy with this as I haven't trained at all for this distance.  This time is an improvement of 1:28 over my time from last year.