Jamestown Jack-O-Lantern Jog 5K

Sunday, I headed over to Jamestown, RI with my family to once again attempt to break a 20 minute 5K.  I was very confident this time, and figured I would be about 19:50 (previous best 20:12).  I was more anxious than usual beforehand, and I hoped this wouldn't hinder my performance.  I stopped in to register and then jogged up the hill to the start line.  I thought I might run into a couple of coworkers who might be running as well, but it became evident I would be doing this one solo.  I wandered over to the front of the line next to a few younger guys who looked faster than me.  At the gun, I let my adrenaline do the work, and settled in to about 10th place or so.  About a quarter mile in, the course turns onto a wide, straight, exposed road, and the wind was howling in my face.  I lost some enthusiasm about the race on this stretch, but when I turned the corner and ran up a hill, I was happy to see my first mile come in at 6:03.  The second mile was much more protected from the wind, however it had some decent hills.  Nothing noteworthy, but it definitely kept this mile slower for me - 6:28.  When mapping this course online, it appeared that the last mile was all downhill.  To my surprise, there was a very large hill (for a 5K) halfway through this final mile.  I felt strong getting up it, and hoped it wouldn't mess up my final time too much.  Once over this hill, there is a fast descent, and I concluded my run with a pretty good sprint to the finish.  I was thrilled to see my time of 19:33 - 39 second PR, and with a flatter course, I know I can do better.  I found my family afterwards, and we headed back through town to the playground and an awesome bakery for coffee.