Race #1
May 26, 2012
Hickory North Carolina
5k Strong Body Strong Mind
Finishing Time: 25:22 Overall: 35th/ Age Group: 6th
I entered this race not knowing what to expect. It was my first 5k race. I had run 5 milers back when I was a kid, and a teenager in Massachusetts back in the late 1970s and early to mid 1980s (I still have an old YMCA medal that I won at one of them.) My only other experiences were running 3 mile races in the Marine Corps back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These were PFT's (physical fitness tests) I would usually finish somewhere in the top 5 in my battalion. It would come easy and natural for me. Like some people were built to be football players, I was built to be a runner. I only wish that I had been more dedicated when I was younger. I missed my potential. I probably could have been really good, but oh well, I decided that what the hell, I'll see what the old man has at the age of 43! Needless to say, this first race wasn't pretty... at least for me!
My first mistake was to line up in the back of the field which had somewhere in the vicinity of 250 runners. My objective was to start slow and finish strong and not get caught in the mad rush for glory at the beginning of the race. However, the crowd was so packed and the road so narrow that it took me 30 seconds to get to the starting line after the start. I was then bogged down by slower runners, and at times was forced to just shuffle along behind some of them until I found a break and then I would dart around them, leap up onto the sidewalk, and look for holes to escape through. I thought about leapfrogging over some of them, but this probably would not have gone over very well. Anyway, I learned a valuable lesson here. From now on I would start at the front. The course was not a brutal one, but it did have a pretty steep hill in the last mile of the race that nearly broke me. I was not training on hills, but at a track so I was nearly done in when I got to the top. I use to be real good at hills, but it was now obvious to me that I was using muscles that I had not used in...well...let's see, 20 years? I believe a couple of blokes past me on the hill, but I took some consolation in the fact that I passed a guy who was walking up it! I was never so glad to see the finish line. I could see the time ticking away and it read somewhere around 25 minutes. If I were to compete in my age group I would have to do better than that. However, I felt good. This first race was now behind me, and now I had a starting point. I ended up finishing 6th in my age group out of 24 runners. The post race refreshments were substantial. There was plenty of fruit and bottled water to go around. Also, every runner that finished received a nice pottery medallion that was presented to each runner after they crossed the finish line. The awards were based on 5 year age groups. I believe the top three in each age group received a hand made coffee mug or something of the sort. Of course, for my 6th place finish I received nothing. However, I did receive encouragement and camaraderie from other runners which is all that really matters in the long run. This was the first year that this race was run, and I plan on running it next year to see how I stack up.
Race #2
September 29, 2012
Morganton North Carolina
5K H.O.P. Race
Finishing Time: 22:48 Overall: 15th/ Age Group: 1st
Well, it had been 4 months since I had run my first race and now I was back to try my luck again. I was in somewhat better condition to race than I had been back in May, but it had not been easy. Shortly after my first race I pulled a calf muscle while doing some speed work at the track. I didn't think that it was too bad, so after a few days rest I became impatient and found myself back on the track. It was the wrong thing to do. I aggravated the muscle further. Needless to say I was done running for almost a month. When I returned to the track in late July I was about back to where I started. I now became slow and methodical in my approach to improve my speed. I have never had a problem with stamina. When September rolled around I began looking for a race in the area that would test my work. I asked my twin brother Jay to come along, and he decided that he would try his hand at the 10K race even though he was not training for races, and had been battling cancer for the last 3 years. However, the cancer was now in check, and he wanted to see what he could do in the longer race. In his day, Jay wasn't good, he was REAL good, winning numerous races. He had always been a better runner than me.
We showed up early to the race and for a while we were not sure if we would be running in the rain or not. It was sprinkling out, but not enough to make things uncomfortable. The race started out fast. The first mile or so was mostly downhill and I immediately began to pace myself with a pack of runners who seemed to be going about my speed. At the one mile mark I heard a girl call out a time of 6:16. I was elated. If I could maintain this pace I would finish way above my expectations. The trick, however, was to maintain that pace! I was feeling good when we got to the turn at the halfway mark. The 10k runners continued on at this point. I knew that I was going to see Jay on the way back, and was surprised to see him not too far behind me. Was I going too slow? Or was he going too fast?The last mile or so of the race was grueling. As we had ran down the hill in the first mile, it was now time to climb it to the finish. Gee...I hadn't thought about pacing myself for that! I was running with three other guys and we were together on the first stretch of the hill. I was winded, and my legs muscles were burning so I imagined that these runners would blow by me anytime. I waited for the inevitable, but somehow it never happened. Obviously, they had blown their wind also. I even passed a little girl (I felt like a big bully) who might have been 10 or 12 and I felt bad about this, as she had obviously started out real strong. I shouted out some encouragement as I ran by. I was soon all alone on the hill, but I could feel the lingering presence of a runner behind me. One of the runners had not given up the chase! Eventually the finish line appeared as I took the crest of a hill, and I staggered across the line finishing in 22:48! I had cut nearly three minutes off my initial outing back in May.
I was surprised to find that I finished 1st in my age group, 15th overall. Jay came in at about 52 minutes in the 10K. In his day he would have run it in about 36 or 37 minutes. There were plenty of refreshments after the race including all sorts of fruit, and even sandwiches from the local Subway. The awards were nice also. The age categories were in 5 year increments and the top three in each were given medals.
Race #3
October 06, 2012
Gastonia North Carolina
5K St. Michael Catholic School Run
Finishing Time: 22:03 Overall: 6th/ Age Group: 1st
My next race occurred only a week after the Morganton race. This one was a nice little run through the rolling hills in back of my sons school, St. Michael's in Gastonia. I felt good throughout this race, and ran most of the last half of it alone, about a minute behind the runner in front of me, and maybe a minute ahead of the one behind me. In fact, at one point I could not see anyone behind me or ahead of me, and I began to wonder if I had made a wrong turn. I really enjoyed this race, and will run it again next year if my health permits! Medals were given to the top 3 runners in 10 year age groups.
Race #4
November 22, 2012
Wilkesboro North Carolina
5K Wilkes Family YMCA Turkey Trot
Finishing Time: 19:28 Overall: 9th/ Age Group: 1st
I planned on running in the Spencer Mountain Race a few weeks before this one, but I was feeling slightly ill in the days preceding the race, so I opted out at the last minute. I wanted to get another race in by the end of the month and began looking for one that was being held on Thanksgiving day. What a way to start a day that you know will end with a fine helping of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, never mind the apple pie and ice cream after the main course! My wife and son had taken my brother-in-law to Florida, so I attended this race by myself. It was about a 70 mile drive, but it was a scenic one through the foothills of North Carolina where the leaves had turned. My GPS had me pulling into a parking lot of what appeared to be an abandoned building. I knew I was about an hour early, but there should have been some sign of an event. However, there was nothing! Only a foggy parking lot. Had the YMCA moved? I drove a few miles down the main highway and stopped at a petro station to ask directions. A woman behind the counter told me that it was about a mile further along the highway, and that I couldn't miss it. By this time I feared that I might miss the start, hence a 70 mile drive for nothing but the beautiful North Carolina scenery!
I made it on time. The YMCA appears to be a new building, hence the probable mistake on the GPS. It was bitterly cold but the cold has never bothered me, anyway, I would be warm soon enough after the race started! I had bought a new pair of Asics a few days earlier and had only ran in them once so I was hoping that they were broke in enough. They didn't fail me. This was a fast paced race, and I broke out early with the leaders, only falling back after I determined that their pace was just a little too uncomfortable. Still, I felt great. It was a flat course, perfect for a PR time. The last mile of the course is adjacent to the greenway on a paved surface that resembles an airport runway. It was a little disheartening to see the leaders running about a minute ahead of me, but by god I was flying! I was astonished to see the time on the clock at the finish time registering 19 minutes and some change. Not only was I going to beat my PR time, I was going to shatter it! After finishing the race I met some great people and we engaged in some good race talk! The refreshments were also in abundance. There was plenty of fruit, drinks and power bars, and biscuits to boot. The awards were white coffee mugs. I guess that you can do more with a coffee mug than you can do with a medal or trophy! At least they have a practical purpose. I have also utilized the nice long sleeve shirt that came with the entrance fee. I might try to attend this race next year.
Race #5
December 22, 2012
Mt. Mourne North Carolina
5K Elf Run
Finishing Time: 20:01 Overall: 17th/ Age Group: 2nd
It had been a month since the Turkey Trot in Wilkesboro, and I was looking to run one final race in 2012. I had actually considered running one of the ultra races in Morganton on New Years eve, but after hashing this over in my mind for a couple of weeks I decided that I wasn't quite ready to tackle one of these events. Perhaps if I am still in fit shape next year at this time I will attempt it. Anyway, I scouted around, and found that there was a race in Mount Mourne a tiny community just south of Mooresville. It looked like a decent event, so I decided to sign up and see what happened.
It was a cold morning. I was only going on about 4 hours of sleep, but since I had already registered for the race, I figured to give it a whirl and drove the 40 or so miles to the event. It started in front of the Mt. Mourne volunteer fire station, and proceeds from the race go to support it. This was mostly a flat course, and I was hoping to better my time from the Wilkesboro race, and perhaps even run a sub 19:00 minute race which I believe that I am more than capable of doing. I started out strong, but my legs didn't feel as strong as they did during the Turkey Trot a month earlier. I am not sure if this had to do with my lack of rest, or perhaps something else. However, I did kick it up near the end of the race, and somehow found a burst of energy in the last half mile or so which separated me from the small group of runners that I had been pacing myself with. When I took the final turn toward the finish I could see the clock at around 19:50 or so. With one last burst of energy I attempted to cross the finish line in under 20 minutes, and I thought I might have done so, but afterward learned that I was clocked at 20:01! Oh well, it was still a great run, and I managed to finish 2nd in my age group. The race refreshments were adequate. There was plenty of fruit which is always a plus in my book. There were even doughnuts for anyone who wanted to take in a little sugar! I love doughnuts, but if I want to maintain a good running weight (135 lbs) I have to exclude them from my normal fare. The top three in 5 year age groups received nice trophies. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone who is looking to end their competitive running year on a fast note. The winner of this race was Anthony Famiglietti, a Steeplechase Olympian who came in at 14:07! This is an almost super-human time. There are not too many people in the world who could have came in ahead of him.
No comments:
Post a Comment