On New Year’s Day it was up nice and early to head over to Norton, Massachusetts for the 4th Annual FOP Post #28 Frozen Five Mile Run. This race is a great five mile race perfect for kicking off the new year in stride. The race is an excellent, rolling course through Norton and registration comes complete with a tee-shirt and a hot breakfast awards ceremony after the race.

I have run the Frozen Five Mile run a couple of previous years and this year’s race featured some of the finest weather you could ever ask for on a January 1st race morning. Long sleeves, a hat and gloves complemented shorts for the run and the conditions were excellent. Not a bad way to start off the running year!

I felt pretty strong the first half of the race but admittedly probably went out a bit too fast, particularly in light of having a celebratory New Year’s Eve Double IPA of 10% the night before. About half-way through the race my pace was noticeably dialing back some. I felt okay throughout the race but knew I wasn’t at the top of my game and had a difficult time having the legs loosen up in the second half of the race.

I finished the 4th Annual Frozen Five Mile with a time of 40:27, good for a pace of 8:05/miles. Not a bad overall time to kick off the New Year and it was great to start the 2016 running year off with a well-organized and enjoyable five miler!