My esteemed colleage Rob and I ran in the Pace Race 5K this morning in Kirkland. This was a fundraiser and awareness builder for prostate cancer.

The weather was cold but clear, a welcome change from the heavy rain yesterday. Fortunately, Road Runner Sports was giving out hats and gloves, so I kept warm through the race (a little too warm after three miles.)

I had set my goal at 8:30 splits again, but according to my Forerunner, I ran 8:35s -- close but not quite. The race started out uphill (+111 ft on the Forerunner, so my first split was a little slower, 8:42. I made it up on the second mile, 8:10 (downhill -101). Then, the wheels came off. The third mile was level and should have been straightforward, but the combination of being too hot and getting tired seemed to have sapped my will to go on. I had to fight my way through the last mile, running a terrible 8:51. I finally picked up for the last tenth of a mile and sprinted in at 8:05 pace. My watch said 27:11; we'll see what the official time is.

Amazingly, I ran 96% of the race with my heartrate in the 92-109% of max region. My pulse was pretty even through the race without the high peaks or the slower regions. I guess that means I kept the effort pretty consistent for the race, which sounds good.

This race was remarkable in the amount of free stuff. In addition to the normal t-shirt (and this one isn't butt-ugly like the others), we got a workout with a water bottle, another t-shirt, gloves, water, pens, post-its, plus other booths handed out frisbees, hats, gloves, Gu Energy Gel. Ezell's, the world's best fried chicken restaurant, was a sponsor, so I was hopeful there would be a mess o' chicken after the race, but alas, I was disappointed.

Rob and I had our post-race brunch at the Waimea Brewing Company instead. There was nothing close to our traditional huevos rancheros (except the Loco Moco, but I wasn't ready for a 1/2 pound hamburger patty topped with a fried egg and covered in brown gravy). I fell back on one my favorites: kalua pork plate lunch. Rob and I also shared an SPAM musubi appetizer; this is essentially SPAM sushi -- rice, nori, and SPAM luncheon meat. Mmm. One of the best parts was having my mac (macaroni) salad with a dash of soy sauce. Fabulous. I really do love Hawaiian food, but I think I ate twice the calories I had just run off. Oh well, easy come, easy go. (How very Hawaiian...)

My shins are bugging me now (both sides), so I think I'll lay off running for a bit. I've been swimming, cycling (indoor and out), and lifting a little recently, so I'll have to rely on those until my legs feel better. I'll have to pick my next race far enough out to recover. Maybe the Toys for Tots Trot on 11/20.