Week Recap: 4 to go

This week included more recovery than I had hoped for. I could barely walk, let alone run on Monday and Tuesday following the hard effort in the half on Sunday. My only fear is that I put too much work into the half and burned myself out a little. I only had one key workout this week, pacing Meagan to 1:17 in the AllState 13.1 in Queens. Along with all the time spent running this week, I also took two ice baths, two epsom baths, spent some painful minutes on the foam roller and kept my legs covered in Arnica cream to expedite the healing process.

Runs: 8 (two doubles)

Mileage: 72.6

Workouts: 1

Long Run: 19.6 miles (marathon pace run)

Hours: 8.44

Monday: Off completely. Feeling very sore from yesterday, so the most exercise I got was walking to Whole Foods to get some Arnica.

Tuesday: AM Miles: 4 (7:24 pace) Course: West Side Highway. I forced myself out of bed at 4am to foam roll and slap Icy Hot all over my legs, then headed out the door for a little shake out on the West Side Highway. My legs hurt like hell, but got better with each step. I thought this was an encouraging sign until I tried to run in the evening. PM Miles: 6 (on elliptical). My plan was to run over to the Urban Athletics practice and run easy, but as I started to run toward the park, the pain was so bad I had to stop and walk. I tried running again after a couple of minutes, but it was a no go. I dejectedly walked back to the gym and hopped on the elliptical.

Wednesday: Miles: 3 (7:30 pace), 6 (on elliptical). Still sore, I rested through the morning, then hit the elliptical after work. After an hour on the dreaded machine, I hopped on the adjacent treadmill to test the legs again. I started at 7:45 pace and gradually worked my way down. At first it hurt but, the pain wasn't altering my gait. When I stopped after three miles, my legs felt dramatically better. It appeared that making the soreness go away would involve running through it.

Thursday: AM Miles: 5 (7:18 pace) Course: Treadmill. Despite perfect weather, I chose to run on the treadmill at 4:20am Thursday because I could control the pace better and the surface was more forgiving. Again, I started at 7:45 pace and worked my way down. I felt even better than last night. PM Miles: 11.5 (7:17 pace) Course: Central Park. I felt terrible when I started, but that was not a surprise. Ran over to the East Side of the park where I met up with Kevin and we ran to the store. I did the warmup with the team, then took off on my own on the Bridle Path so I would have a softer surface. Half way around reservoir, I heard someone calling my name. It was Jordan, in town for the half, and we finished out the run together. I only planned to get in 10, but due to the easy pace, I didn't mind going a little longer.

Friday: Miles: 10.25 (6:49 pace) Course: Riverside Park/Chelsea Mini Track. I figured I had to pick the pace up at this point, so I picked this run to get back to my normal training pace. I did feel sore, but not nearly as sore as in previous days. At the end of the run, I stopped at the Chelsea Mini Track to do barefoot strides, buttkickers and high knees on the soccer field.

Saturday: Miles: 19.6 (half marathon in 1:17:20) Course: Flushing-Corona City Park, Queens. Got to the race at Flushing Meadows a little late, so only got 2.5 miles in before heading to starting line with Josh. Met up with Meagan and Jordan at the line and plan was to get her to 1:17. We ran in a pack the entire race with Jordan, Josh and me blocking wind and pumping up the crowd. Pretty significant wind and lots of turns on this course which was entirely in the park. We narrowly missed 1:17, but Meagan did get to break the tape and get a significant PR. Besides that, it was a good marathon pace run for Josh and me. While the effort wasn't as easy as it should of been thanks to some residual soreness in the legs, I knew it would be much easier to maintain that pace when I am rested. Splits: 5:58, 5:56, 5:53, 5:53, 5:53, 5:54, 5:58, 5:50, 5:58, 5:57, 5:57, 5:58, 5:39, :29

Sunday: AM Miles: 15 (7:15 pace) Course: Brooklyn Bridge Run. I wanted to start this run a little early to beat the crowds on the Brooklyn Bridge. Billy and I set out down the West Side Highway at a fairly conservative pace and kept it that way for the duration of the run. It was a good chance to show Billy the sites as we ran through Brooklyn Bridge Park before heading back over the Manhattan Bridge. I felt Ok the first 9 miles, but the last 6 miles were a real challenge. Legs were just feeling dead. PM Miles: 4.4 (6:44 pace) Course: West Side Highway. After sitting around all afternoon in recovery tights and drinking water, I wanted to get a few more miles in. My legs felt surprisingly better on this shakeout, although I was really hungry the whole time.

While the last two weeks have the lowest mileage volume of this cycle, they have produced the hardest efforts thus far. The plan is to ramp up the mileage this week before a two week taper.

Ahead by nearly a century

As Boston gets closer, the mileage gets higher, the workouts get harder and I get hungrier. Nearing the end of a February that includes three consecutive weeks of 85, 98 and 95 miles. I am struggling to remember a time when I was thoroughly stuffed. This week, the seminary at which we live hosted a free pancake breakfast. They probably didn't bank on my appetite as they prepared the feast. Two plates piled high with hot cakes, fruit and fresh whipped cream and I still had room for M&Ms when I got home. (Side anecdote: Lauren and I took Julie and Brian to the M & M store and could not resist the allure of the wall of milk chocolate in a candy shell. We now have enough M & M's to sustain us through Christmas...or maybe next week. Who knows?)

Since my last post, which was about movies and not running, things have progressed quite nicely on the fitness front. Minus a disastrous attempt at racing the mile at the Armory, I've finished every run at workout satisfied. The day after the track disaster, I put in a hard 7 mile tempo in the park , solo at 5:38 pace. I can thank the frustration hangover for some of that speed. That run was followed up by a moderately paced 20 miler with Josh and JR over the George Washington Bridge and onto the steep hills and switchbacks of the Palisades Greenway before heading back into Central Park.

The next week was a grind from start to finish. At Tuesday’s UA workout, we hammered 400s around the Great Lawn. Although, I should point out that hammering is relative. My 12 repeats ranged from 65-70 seconds and the rest was generous. During the faster ones, my face contorted in a twisted grimace and my arms flailed wildly. People with actual speed can go much faster and look much more graceful. I have always lacked both grace and speed. It took me two days, three runs and 30 miles to recover. I also am learning that the high mileage requires me to run in the morning and with my current work schedule that means 4:30am. If I ever go months without updating this blog, assume that I was kidnapped by a wandering drifter somewhere along the Hudson river during one of those runs.

Once recovered, I hit the Central Park 4 mile course last Friday to attempt a solo effort at 3X2 miles. The course is moderately hilly, but so are all the races there, so workouts like these provide a good simulation of race day conditions. The times were 10:50, 10:37 and 10:43 with a three minute jogging rest. I would have liked to run the last one a bit quicker, but even with a 5:17 closing mile I had gone out too slow to dip below 10:40 again.

Because Julie and Brian were coming into town Saturday afternoon and I didn’t want them to waste part of their trip here waiting for me to run 22 miles, I planned to do another quick turnaround. I was out the door by 7am Saturday morning, ipod loaded with some of my favorite recent records and headed South down the Hudson. I covered 14 miles with only rare glimpses at the Garmin before meeting up with Meagan, also visiting, at Paragon Sports in Union Square so she could keep me company for the last 8 miles. By the end of the run, I had traveled nearly 23 miles at an unintentional, yet very comfortable speed of 6:45/mile. Getting the long run out of the way allowed for a worry-free Thai feast later in the evening with Meagan, Jordan (who is nursing an injury) and Julie and Brian. The next day, which was supposed to be an easy run with Meagan and Heidi, turned into me running with about 9 women and feeling like the creeper of the group. We kept the first 9 miles easy, but then Meagan and I picked it up heading down the Hudson River so she could make engagement. My legs were toast when I got back home.

I believe if you are going to run high mileage, run it consistently. One week at 90-100 miles is wasting your time. I train on a three weeks hard, one week easy schedule. I could not be more excited to be coming to the end of this current three week block. Last night’s team workout again focused on speed and turnover, and I don’t have either. I was able to hang on with the front pack from the duration of the ladder which started at 400 and climbed to 1200 before descending at a faster pace, but I wasn’t turning any heads. By the final 400, my legs felt like they were going to come out from under me. It’s easy to get disappointed when you are pushing harder than your times reflect, but I am trying to remember that you sometimes sacrifice that gear you need to hammer a 400 for stamina in the marathon.

One more long run tomorrow. 20 miles with the last 6 at marathon pace or faster, then a week to take it relatively easy for a 5K race. I hope 5000 meters is long enough for me to stick my nose in the competition.

Days Off, Dreadmills, Drumlins, Dad & Mom and Dumb Falls

Since last Monday, I have on five occasions made a mental note to update my blog. Each time, I have been unable to find the time to do it and as a result, we end up with a "super entry". Chronologically, I want to recap my struggle to take a day off from running, my rare run on a treadmill, a hilly race, a visit from my parents & Auntie Ann and a bloody post-workout fall. I will attempt to tell them in short story fashion for the sake of brevity.

Chapter 1: Days Off

I struggle with the concept of rest. I am aware my body needs it. Even my mind tells me I’m tired and to take it easy, but the obsessive compulsive in me fights back. I found myself in this situation last Wednesday. I had come off three straight weeks of 80 miles and had a race coming up. I hadn’t taken a day off from running in 30+ days. It was time. These situations always unfold the same way. Leading up to the planned day off, I bragged about it and built it up in my head. “I’m going to sleep in and eat a big breakfast,” I’d say to myself. “I’m going to go straight home and eat a big dinner, maybe watch some TV.” Then, Wednesday arrives. All day, I think about how great it would be to go for a run. Even though my ankle is feeling a little sore from a tweak on a hill workout the previous day, I consider doing just an easy five or six. Ultimately, scheduling saves me. I’ve already missed the morning run, and I don’t enjoy running in the evening heat. I compromise and do one hour of lifting instead.

Chapter 2: Dreadmill

Thursday morning was not a planned day off. I had 12 miles on my calendar, 6.2 of which would be a preview of Saturday’s race course. I woke up at 5:05am, roughly 36 seconds before the deluge. It was already lightning and the thunder was getting closer. Then, it started pouring. I don’t mind running in the rain. Heck, in this weather I love it. But, I do mind running in the lightning. I am constantly looking around to see if I am the tallest object in the immediate area. If I am, I freak out. Before I even had a chance to think about my options, I got a text from Lauren telling me to be careful and channeling my mom. I decided to drive to the Y, hoping that by the time I got there, the storm would have passed. I sat in the car for about 10 minutes before I realized that was not going to happen and if I wanted to get a treadmill, I'd better get inside quick. To make what was coming a little easier, I told myself I'd do 7 miles on the treadmill, then run again in the afternoon. Let me quickly explain why I only run on treadmills about twice a year. I fell off one in college. Not off one, on to one. It threw me off. Thankfully, into a pile of wrestling mats, but while it softened the blow to my body, it did not prevent the scars on my dignity. I got on the only available death machine and remembered my headphones were in the car. This was going to suck. Thank God for closed captioning. As the miles passed, I read the news on WBTV and took in my surroundings. When I got to four miles, I thought "Ok, I can do eight." When I got to eight, I told myself that if I could do 10.5, I could call it a day when it was over. So, that is what I did, thus completing what is unofficially the second longest treadmill run of my life.

Chapter 3: Drumlins

Technically, a drumlin is a smoothly rounded hill. For the purposes of this blog and for the sake of alliteration, it is just a hill. Saturday's 10K course was all drumlins, and what seemed to be very few valleys. I will be out of the country for Greekfest, so I decided to sign up for a rare 10K and see what kind of shape I was in. I explained my training in Chapter 1, so I knew I wasn't going to be fresh, but I didn't think a sub-34 was outside the realm of possibility. Despite ice baths, sticking and more stretching than usual (which is to say, I stretched), I woke up with still heavy legs. From the get-go, the race felt like an effort. Aaron paced me through the first two miles (5:14, 5:30), and Chris was with me through three miles. We went through mile three at 16:17, and after that I was hanging on. Chris and Aaron had dropped back and I struggled to keep my head in it. A runner from UNC Charlotte was a good bit ahead, and Allejandro was a good bit behind. I saw Billy Shue somewhere around mile 4.5 and thought about asking him to jump in to keep me company and keep me from slowing down so much, but for some reason I decided not to. I know he would of, because Billy would give you the shirt off his back. I didn't get the splits on the final 2.2, but they felt like a disaster. I ended up finishing second. My watch said 34:27, the gun time was 34:29. The chip time never registered. It's a one second PR, but I have run four 10Ks in my life. The first one was when I was getting back into shape and was somewhere in the 37s. The rest are 34:50, 34:30, 34:29. I think I am in a 10K rut.

Chapter 4: Dad & Mom

Mom and Dad and Auntie Ann all arrived the Friday night before the race. I love when they come down because I don't see nearly enough of them. My challenge is always finding new things to show them. I know they don't need to be entertained, but I like to entertain. Dad came to the race and met a lot of very important people. We spent Saturday afternoon at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which is pretty cool. It's one of those places I might not have made it to if I didn't have someone to take. We had to drag Auntie Ann out kicking and screaming. She wanted to go back through. Not really. There is a pretty cool NASCAR simulator in there. I crashed five times. After my 18 mile long run and church on Sunday, we payed homage to father dollar by hitting retail hot spots Concord Mills and Ikea. Note on Concord Mills. Their PR people get really upset when you call it a mall. I always thought that was kind of petty, but had never been there. Now, I have. It's a mall. We did lots of good Charlotte eateries. Cabo, Zada Janes, Yoforia and then Zio last night with Mary Brooks. I won't go in to detail, but if you ever meet Mary Brooks, you'll know why spending an evening with her was the highlight of my family's trip.

Chapter 5: Dumb Falls

I chose running as my sport because I am not coordinated. Throw a ball at me, and I will drop it. Give me a jump rope and I'll trip over it. Running is like walking, but faster. It's instinct. How can anyone screw that up? I'm here to tell you how. I hammered my way through a pretty challenging track workout this morning. Through the entire thing, near 5:00 mile pace, I managed to stay upright. However, with a half-mile left in the leisurely cool down, I was chatting with Jordan as we approached three trash bags on the left hand side of the sidewalk. I saw the trash bags, made note of the trash bags and yet somehow still managed to catch my foot on one and go tumbling into the concrete. You've fallen before, so you know how it feels. Everything happens in slow motion and defying physics, you manage to cut up spots all over your body. I have a cut on my ankle, my knee, my elbow, my side and my back. The latter three require dressing and Lauren has to do it because I can't do it myself. I thought taking that initial shower would be the most painful part. Well, it hurt, but when Lauren put hydrogen peroxide on for the first time, I thought I was going to go through the roof. For those of you keeping track at home, this makes my second bloody fall since Memorial Day. How many of those were on rooty, technical trails? None. Both on sidewalks.

Apologies for the epic, and if you made it this far, I suggest a good book.

Blue Points 5K (do you have a more creative title?)

This past weekend was intense. Awesome and intense. It was Lauren's 30th birthday, which officially makes us Mrs. Robinson and Ben Braddock -- except of course, she isn't married. I can make this joke until I turn 27 next month, and the gap is no longer four years. Her parents were both here. There was a party to plan. I had to move all my stuff for the third time since moving to Charlotte. We had out of town guests from Boston on Sunday. Somewhere in the midst of it all, I ran a 5k.

Despite a good, confidence-building stretch of running, I was not looking forward to the Blue Points 5K. There was much discussion over which way the course would be run. Would we go up Morehead or up Stonewall? Some believe that one way is easier than the other, but I am convinced they are equally as tough with a downhill on one side and a gradual climb for the last mile and a half. We decided to run it Morehead first when we previewed the course on Thursday's run. We were wrong. Shortly after the run, Meagan assured us the course would be going Stonewall first. I told her I didn't care if we ran it sideways. It took everything I had to go 16:30 last year.

Come Saturday morning, you couldn't have asked for better weather. The humidity was on a hiatus, and it was maybe 75 degrees. And there was nearly a full moon. Just before the gun went off (I say this like there is actually a gun. I don't remember the last time someone fired a gun to signal the start of a race in Charlotte), a nearly-pantless man came running out of the group screaming something and running toward the parking lot. He either screamed, "my chip!" or "my pants!" Either was a possibility. He had that look like he had forgetten to secure his chip. I've seen it before. Plus, how do you suddenly realize there is nothing covering your rear? I may never know the answer since the next time I saw him the race was over and he had pants on.

The race went out fast. It was clear right off the bat that it was a deep field. Richard Falcone, an ageless wonder, sprinted to the front with Jordan while I briefly tested the waters with a pack of Appalachian State and Winthrop runners. They were going out much faster than I felt comfortable with, and I settled right where I belonged with Brian and Paul. Brian was on a mission. As we rolled down Stonewall, he opened up a decent gap on Paul and me. We reeled him in and he'd put down a surge. I'd pull along next to him, and there was a another surge. The first mile was an actual race. 5:01.

Paul and I finally broke lose from Brian at about a mile and a quarter, turning onto Morehead. After we pulled off, neither of us saw another runner. I wanted to stay with Paul as long as I could because I knew as soon as he got a couple steps ahead of me, I'd drop back and mentally check out. I could tell he wanted to break away, but I stayed strong. Ultimately, it was good for both of us. 5:15. The climb had started.

We were still side-by-side as we climbed the little bridge next to the Dowd YMCA where Megan and Erica gave a much needed cheer. Coming down the other side and crossing over 277, I decided to take a risk. I put about five meters on Paul as we turned onto Mint Street. With the finish line in site and a larger than normal crowd cheering, I knew I'd have to hold on hard to keep Paul from benefiting from the momentum and taking back his spot. The advantage goes to the chaser in these situations. And this wasn't just any chaser, it was Paul who is a darn strong runner. So yeah, he got me. Just before we crossed the line, Paul went by crossing in 16:13 with me in 16:15. But I was far from disappointed. It was 15 seconds faster than last year, and only 8 seconds slower than China Grove which is a much faster course. It also broke a mini-streak of subpar performances. Of course, you never run the perfect race. I wish I could have outkicked Paul, but in the grand scheme of things to be disappointed in, it's pretty minor.

Jordan easily held off a hard-charging crowd of kids to win. Meagan won on the women's side, and Billy Shue broke 17:00 allowing him to date women. After the race, the talk was about how fast everyone is going to run at Greekfest. I'm bummed I won't be there, but I think I'd rather be soaking up the sun in the Bahamas. I'm going to give the 10K a shot on August 21st, and maybe look for one last 5K to bust somewhere before mid-September.

100 Degrees in Dilworth

I have only raced the four mile distance four times. I think that’s enough times to decisively say that it’s not my favorite. In the hierarchy of shorter distances, it sits somewhere in between the 15K (Love) and the mile (Hate). Yes, I am aware that in length, it also fits in between those distances, but I am only referring to preference in this case. Saturday’s Run For Your Life Run for a Cause Four Miler was the second slowest of my four four milers, but by far the hottest. In last year’s race, I finished second in a time of 21:30. Given the conditions, I hoped to at least repeat that performance.

I am a sweaty guy. So, I wasn’t all that surprised when I showed up the line and a couple of runners asked me if I had already raced. I was dripping sweat from the easy warm up miles. This continues to be the hottest, most humid summer I have ever lived through. By the time the race started at 7:30 Saturday morning, it was near 100% humidity (but not near raining) and I was starting to think this competition would come down to who the best aqua jogger was. (Sadly for me, that was not the case. If it were, I might have won. I am one heck of an aqua jogger. I was the unofficial NCAA Division III National Champion when I couldn’t run my sophomore year of cross country.)

Knowing that the entire first mile is up hill, I put some effort in as soon as the gun went off. I wouldn’t say I went out fast – I didn’t even sniff Jordan and Bert -- but I did give myself a jump on Paul, Aaron and Mike who I know to be strong hill runners. That’s why it wasn’t long before Paul, Mike and I were in a pack, making our way up McDonald. Mike was baby-jogger-free, so I figured he’d be a contender. I’d been working out frequently with Paul and knew he was in solid shape. I clocked 5:28 for the first mile.

By the time we got to East Boulevard it was Paul and I testing the waters. It’s a long stretch down East, but at this point I was feeling pretty decent. We had talked earlier in the week about running near each other, so it felt like everything was going according to plan. We hit the next mile still side-by-side in a much quicker time of 5:19. At roughly two-and-a-half miles I could see a water stop up ahead. I waited to see what Paul would do, sort of like a race car driver waits to see who is going to go into the pits. When he took a cup of water, I followed suit. The plan was to dump most of it on my head and drink the rest. Unfortunately, I dumped all of it on my head and then attempted to drink from an empty cup. What can I say? It was my first time taking water in a race shorter than a half-marathon.

Approaching mile three, Paul opened a gap on me. If I have one weakness…well, I have many, but one of them is the inability to close gaps. I would later learn that this entire mile was a disaster. I was starting to feel the heat. My legs felt fine, but the rest of my body was moving toward exhaustion. I clocked a 5:42 for this mile. There are some climbs, but I should have run faster than that. However, looking at other’s recaps it appears everyone struggled with this mile. Almost everyone. Greg Isaacs did not. Just before the three-and-a-half mile marker he passed me. I tried to hang, but as we came closer to the line, I worried a little more about preserving my position and not getting passed again. I had no idea what was going on behind me and knew looking back would only slow me down.

I crossed the line in 21:44, thoroughly tuckered out. Due to Bert running off the course, I finished in fourth place, behind some pretty speedy runners and ahead of some pretty speedy runners too. I’ve gone back and forth between disappointed and simply satisfied. Elated is definitely not on in the list of feelings. The disappointment comes when I start thinking about my last couple of races. I ran a subpar 5K in New York, and this four-miler did not show any signs of progression. It’s discouraging after what I thought was a pretty promising start to the summer racing season. I know Paul can relate. I am happy to see he’s broken out of his funk. I move toward satisfaction when I think about the conditions. It seemed everyone’s times were a little slower than their potential thanks to the heat and humidity. Plus, these shorter races are hard to use as a good gauge. You either have it that day or you don’t. There’s no switching gears in the middle. You can run 16:00 one day in a 5K, and come back the next weekend in the same shape and run a 16:45. Some positive workout performances have kept me feeling like I am moving in the right direction. We’ll see what happens at Blue Points on August 7th.

In other weekend news, Lauren competed in the Lake Wylie Sprint Triathlon with Sloan and did a great job! It gave me the opportunity to get down to Lake Wylie, go for a swim and have a great lunch with the two triathletes and Jamie Doyle.

Sunday’s long run was miserable, but misery loves company. There were eight of us on this 15 mile (for me) death march on the hot asphalt at Mallard Creek. We all tried our best to stay positive, but by the end, the little conversation we were able to have revolved around how much longer was left and where water might be available. It go so bad that with two miles to go, Mike and I actually jumped in the creek. I may grow another eyeball, but I was cooled off just for that moment.

China Grove - but not the same one the Doobies talked about.

As much as I would have liked to be running a race in a town immortalized by the Doobies, a quick glance at the lyrics of that classic rock song let me know that the Brothers Doobie were actually jamming out about a place somewhere in Texas (In the San Antonio area I believe) and not Rowan County, North Carolina.

Going into this week, the last in my first meso-cycle of the new Mark Hadley training plan, I knew I was either going to start my summer season in China Grove for the Main Street Challenge on Friday night, or in Hendersonville with the Civitan Sun 5K Saturday morning. Ultimately, it was Paul Mainwaring and the rave reviews of China Grove that convinced me to give it a try. With just one month of post-Boston marathon training under my belt, this race was to act as a fitness test. I really wanted to do well, but I also wanted to use it as a gauge of where I was and what kinks needed to be worked out as I settle in to the 5 and 10K distance for the next couple of months.

I think the last time I raced at night was in college....maybe even high school, and that was on an indoor track. Well, not counting the Blue Ridge Relay. It's tough to plan your day around a 9pm race. What do you eat? Can you sneak a nap in the middle of a work day?

At the last minute, Jordan decided to join Paul and me for our 38 mile road trip from Charlotte to China Grove. We took off at 6:45 in hopes of a 7:30 arrival. We arrived right on time and got a money parking spot between the moonbounces and the porta-johns. I hadn't registered yet, so I signed up while Paul claimed a door prize. The race packet was definitely nice. It contained a dri-fit shirt and a coupon for Chick-Fil-A which I would later learn was only usable at a Chick-Fil-A up there. Oh well.

Around 8:10, Paul, Jordan and I set out to run the course. We found it to be pretty flat with some very modest inclines. It's an out and back, up main street. On the way back, just before town, the fire department had parked one of its trucks and it was spraying water from above. This was needed on a night where it was near 90 even after the sun went down and a pea-soup-kind of humid.

At the line, I did some strides, jumped up and down a few times, then a man in a paper Krispy Kreme hat said a prayer. Shortly following the "amen", the horn went off. I knew enough to stay away from Jordan and Ryan Woods. They were in a different race. But, I wanted to keep Paul and Chris in my sights. I figured the three of us were the race for third. Chris left me about 400-600 meters in to run with Jordan and Ryan a bit. I chose not to go, hoping he would come back to me later in the race. Paul was a few seconds back when I went through the mile in 5:04 (that's what the Garmin said, but the guy on the side of the course calling out splits said '5:00'). Paul caught up to me shortly after the mile marker and we ran side-by-side to the turn around. We both believe we lost a couple of seconds by taking the turn around so gingerly. Both of us slowed down to go around the barrel that marked the midway point.

As we went through the turnaround, I noticed Chris had pulled up from the lead two and we were catching him quickly. I figured he wasn't finished and was glad he went with us when we got to him. For a half-mile or so, it was the three of us running as a pack. I decided to make a move and Chris came with me. For the next half-mile we ran together. I'd put in a little surge and he'd come right with me. With about 800 to go, I put in one final surge and opened up a nice gap between the two of us. I was hurting, but thought I could maintain. I hit the firetruck with the water, and remembered it being MUCH CLOSER to the finish. Did that firetruck move? I was still composed though, and could see the line. I guess this is where I got complacent because all of the sudden, Chris was right on me again and I had nothing left. As we approached the line, he outkicked me and I lost my breath. I started to cough like I haven't coughed in a race since some track races back in the day.

I finished in 16:07, but probably lost three seconds trying to breathe as I came through the chute. Chris, Paul and I both had our hands on our knees for a good two minutes following the finish. We may have underestimated the toll the conditions were going to take.

The time is a new PR, and encouraging as I plot out the rest of the running season. I know I have a lot more workouts and development left. I know I need to work on finishing (and that has been the case since I started running), and I could still use a little work on pacing. According to the Garmin, the splits were 5:04, 5:14, 5:14 and :35 for the last 0.1. Looking at times from last year's race, I think the humidity slowed the average pace down a bit. Ryan ran 14:58 to win in 2009, and Jordan won it this year in 15:05. The guy who was fourth last year ran 15:58 and I ran 16:07. Of course, I can't say I could run 15:58. I have never run that time. This performance made me optimistic that a sub-16 is possible though.

Gutsy performances out there by Jordan, who is in awesome shape, Chris who had my number at the end and Paul who left everything out on the course. Also, a nod to Alice Rogers who set a new PR in 18:01, finishing as the second overall female.

This race also gets high marks for its post-race buffet. There was cantaloupe, watermelon, legit bottles of Gatordade, Cheerwine (which I don't particularly enjoy, but is a Salisbury-area staple), cookies and Pizza Hut Pizza. Kudos to Jordan for snagging a whole box on the way out.

Next race could be Summer Breeze at Freedom Park, but the next meso-cycle ends with the Sodus Point Light House 5k at HOME!