If I’m being honest, I was disappointed with my race at the Aquarium of the Pacific 5k. Despite running 30 seconds faster than in both 2023 and 2024, I finished fourth this year. In 2023 and 2024, I was second, and all three women this year were around 10 seconds ahead of me. Sometimes you just don’t have it in you, and I did not.
Before the Aquarium of the Pacific 5k
My race started about two weeks ago when I got a head cold. I knew going down to race this and the Long Beach Half would mean getting comfortable with the idea that I probably wouldn’t feel as good as I wanted. I didn’t know what that meant. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure I could run under a 7-minute pace 5k because running faster than 7:30 pace felt incredibly hard. I hadn’t done any true speed work since the Surf City 10-Mile race two weeks ago and probably the day after is the day I got sick. I know as well as you do that you don’t lose fitness in a couple of weeks, but it can be hard to remember that in the moment.
My drive to Long Beach was relatively easy. I got to my hotel early and went to bed early. I felt refreshed when I woke the next morning and arrived at the Aquarium of the Pacific 5k start around 6:40 for the 6:50 race start.
Aquarium of the Pacific 5k Race
Immediately, we were off and I felt…meh. I was working hard and found myself in fourth place. I could see the top three women just ahead, so I thought maybe I could catch them. I never did and stayed around five seconds behind the entire time.
The first mile of the Aquarium of the Pacific 5k is the only truly flat mile (although there are plenty of turns). I hit mile 1 in 6:18 and was pleasantly surprised. It felt hard but not like I was dry heaving or struggling too much. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to run that fast.
From there, we had a few turns and went up the bridge. I was pretty engaged because I thought there was a chance I could catch the third-place woman. I gained on the uphill, but she was able to pull away on the downhill. I hit mile 2 in 6:30 and was again surprised…especially because of the bridge. I think the bridge has about 40ish feel of elevation gain. The Long Beach Half Marathon also goes over it, but it feels so hard when you are running your 5k pace.
I always think mile 3 is the hardest because you go back over the bridge, through turns, and into the Aquarium. The course runs slightly long since I usually hit the 5k mark just as I’m entering the Aquarium. I kept pushing, thinking maybe I could catch the third-place woman. I noticed that the second-place woman was actually fading, and we were both gaining on her, but there just wasn’t enough road left to catch her. I hit mile 3 in 6:25 and pushed as hard as I could through the Aquarium.
I crossed the finish line in 20:10 and as the fourth woman overall.
Aquarium of the Pacific 5k Thoughts
To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about the Aquarium of the Pacific 5k. On one hand, it’s my fastest time on the course by 30 seconds…which is a lot in a 5k, especially after being sick. On the other hand, I’ve been second twice, so finishing fourth is tough. But I’m proud of the race I ran, and it feels good to have tangible evidence that I’m actually getting faster because sometimes it can be hard to see that in the moment.
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Questions for You
Have you run the Aquarium of the Pacific 5k?
What’s your favorite 5k?