Yesterday it was back to the West Island section of Fairhaven to take part in the West Island 5K once again. It has been a number of years since I last ran this race but with an open Sunday morning on the calendar it was great to make my way back to this waterfront little community to participate in the 5K race that calls West Island home.

Funds from this road race go to benefit the local West Island community and also helps to support cross-country teams at Fairhaven High School and funds scholarships for local students, as well . This oceanside community is a great little area and some of the locals head out onto the course and cheer runners on along the way.

It can be deceiving how gradually downhill the first mile is only to then realize in the final mile of the race you are generally climbing each step of the way. As runners make the final right hand turn on the course you then are smacked by a nice, uphill finish that isn’t for the faint of heart but runners had a great day to tackle the hilly finish and throngs of supporters cheering you along up the hill never hurts!

The first mile I definitely enjoyed the downhill start a bit too much and needed to pace myself more in the second and third mile. Fortunately, I was able to balance things out a bit and ran the second and third miles at a bit more of a measured pace. I finished the West Island 5K with a time of 25:52, good for 8:19/miles.