Ran Gainesville's Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning

After signing up for the Florida Track Club's track meet at Fred Cone Park on the 7th of May and then skipping it, I was gratified to learn that the Deport Parkrun had resumed its free Saturday morning 5K races at Depot Park here in Gainesville: here was a chance after all for me to get a race in during May! So this morning I got up a little past six and went down there to join the other early-risers for the 7:30 event.  The organizers and volunteers had everything going smoothly and were very friendly and encouraging.  To run this event you need to preregister online, from which you will be given barcodes to print out and take with you to the race.  Then, when you finish, a volunteer will hand you another barcoded card for you to take with your own barcode slip to the scanning station.  There the results are entered and later posted online on their website...click here to view today's results.  The skies for this morning were clear and at race time the temperature was 71 with 86% humidity.  The course undulates through the park and, although not exactly hilly, does slope a bit here and there.  It's also very pretty with some neat scenery to look at.  The 3.1 mile length is divided into 4 laps on the course, so it's easy to judge your own progress after each one with a volunteer barking out the split time as you pass by.  For the first couple of laps I felt very rough and out of shape, with some runners passing me...but with lap #3 onward to the end I settled into my familiar "groove" and drew on those energy reserves I knew I had, finishing strong.  I ended with a time of 30:50, not my best but better than the 32:40 I ran at last month's Headwaters 5K.  Since it's held at Depot Park there are restroom facilities...as well as water for those who didn't bring their own hydration.  Today's run went very well for me and although I didn't achieve an unspoken goal to break 30 minutes, I feel hopeful that in the weeks to come this will happen...