Two weeks after running my worst 10K ever, I followed up with what is probably my worst 5k ever in today's Old Settler's Day 5K in Lacon, Marshall County, Illinois. Man, I've got to get back to running on my own, instead of just running in races. Old age is a bear.
With a 7:30 start time and a perfect day for running, my time today was a dismal 28:52. Gone are the days of 24 minute 5Ks, at least temporarily.
The Old Settler's Day 5k is a very nice race, put on in conjunction with a small, downtown festival. There were roughly 100 runners, maybe a few less,.
The race starts downtown by the county courthouse, something I always like, then heads through the east side of town. The first half mile is one long uphill, but after that it is pretty flat. This race had the best after race I've had in a while, with fruit, snacks, homemade treats and Subway sandwiches.
Lacon is the county seat of Marshall County and is located on the Illinois River, north of Peoria. The race ran away from the river, so I only saw it on the drive in. Actually, the drive to Lacon down Route 26 was pretty and I'll bet it is beautiful in the fall. This was my first time in Lacon and Marshall County.
I don't seem to do well in mid central Illinois races. I've done poorly in races in Marshall, Henry, Putnam and Woodford counties. I need to work on that.
With this race in Marshall County, I've now run a race in 64 Illinois counties, as I seek to run a race in all 102 Illinois counties.
I've got a month until my next race, which is also just a 5K, so I need to get back to training on my own. I started the year off with a half marathon and a 10 mile race, so struggling on 5K's is unacceptable.