Back again to the original event, same route as last year, same kind of fun. Cisco’s 5k was my 1st official running event, the one that hooked me into running, eventually marking the beginning of an exciting road toward ultra-running events.

Once again, it was great to see and run with many friends and co-workers. Another year for the InsaneRunning group to be present. Blaine, Mike, Hai, Panos, and many others were ready to run. Even event coordinators Abby and Chance joined us today to cheer, participate, and put on a phenomenal event.

The warmup: A longer one with a couple of miles warm-up session today. Longer but still easy warm-up to start getting loose before the start of the event. As I walked to the start line, I snapped a few pictures here and there. As I was getting close to the start area and still a little bit in the back, the start of the race went off.

Mile 1-2: Very uneventful miles, other than getting trapped at a very narrow section about a 1/4 mile into the event. Tripped by another runner but was able to recover to prevent a fall. Not pressing the pace much, smiling, and seeing so many great runners pushing their limits. Some were going smoothly, some heavy breathing, all part of a symphony of 5k effort. Around mile 1, there is a water station. I did grab some water. A few additional loops in and out of the parking lot.

Mile 3-Finish: Last mile, and all is going well, but I missed the opportunity to grab water on the return. Still feeling good, great weather. Definitely very happy with the result, solid and with a smile, and about a minute better than last year.

Cool Down: No cool-down today.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to run the events, to meet others, to have great friends in the running community, and to be able to help others, even if it is just listening to their life issues, things that they are proud of, their viewpoints and perspectives, and most inspiring, their stories of achievement.

Month/Year	Event	Location	Type	Time
Oct-25	Cisco 5k virtual	NC	5k	27:03

Event Highlight:

Course: The route has a very ample parking lot and then quickly turns into a narrow paved path and a few small hills.

Venue: The start/finish line, great music and food.

Expo: No Expo

Weather: Overcast, low 60º with medium humidity.

T1D: Sugars within running range at start. It remained steady and trended well all the way.

Fueling:

Pre-Race: Latte early morning.

Race: Water, no fuel

Post: Normal lunch plus a free latte

Learning Points:

• Keeping the tradition going, great to see so many friends and coworkers.
• Great to do another 5k and somewhat press the pace.
• Also, able to sustain a target pace based on the starting race target, off by a few seconds, not too shabby