5km Christmas Day

Christmas is not celebrated by everyone in Albania. In fact my mother-in-law went to the Post Office today and said that it was a normal working day.

I decided I would have time, with the boys off school to get a run in before lunch.
Unfortunately, I haven't been well this week and have a virus, so i decided that 5km should be the maximum for this run.

Decided not to time it nor do my heart rate, but at the last minute I took my Garmin with me.

As i started to run I saw a friend and I think that made me run a little quicker. I saw I was under 8.00 pace.
Too quick!

I don't know what it is about this course but the Garmin that is usually very accurate does not pick it up.It is about 200metres out...so all the other runs over this course have to be unofficial , including my under 26 minutes PR for 5km.

There were far too many people on the roads, and a number of times I had to either take a slight detour rather than the shortest route possible. At one point I got squeezed between 2 card and had to run back and round them.
Still I felt good all the run.

As I came towards the end I felt I should up the pace, but was totally unaware of the 5km spot. I added a little onto the run, rather than my usual stop and checked the time at different spots.

I make it that i ran about 100 metres more than 5km.

My last check point was 26 minutes, so I reckon the time to be about 26 minutes 15 seconds.
I am making this my official record time for 5km.

I still feel I could have upped that and beaten it, but still it felt good.

I am a little cold now...which is not good. That was how I was feeling earlier in the week.
My chest was also bright red after the run. I was hoping it was the dri-fit shirt and the cold weather and not a rash. I am not convinced as yet what it is.

Here are the splits.
1 - 8.00
2 - 8.27
3 - 8.09
last - 7.27