Catching Up

I didn't do a race report for the Jingle Bell Run 5K last week. I've been busy with house repairs and getting said house ready for people to look at it. I've also had the regular business with school, grad. school, family, etc.

Last Saturday was cold as a well digger's ass in Ohio. It was only about 35 degrees with very chilly winds coming out of the NE at close to 20 mph. That was fine on the way back in on the out-and-back course but really sucked on the way out. Once we hit the tree line around the 1K mark it was fine.

I drove to the race so I had about 90 minutes to sign-up and warm-up. I'm glad I did because it was a huge SNAFU. You had to sign-up and pay at one table, get your bib number at another and then get your goodie bag and t-shirt in another. It was a ton of standing in line. To make matters worse when I got to race and went to grab my gloves and hat they weren't in the car. Luckily I had a raggedy old stocking cap in my car that was covered in dead leaf fragments from the yard work I'd done in it the previous weekend and an extra pair of socks in my dry clothes bag. I eventually found my hat and gloves on the floor of my garage upon returning home.

I got in about a two mile warm-up and stripped down to a long sleeve shirt, light vest, tights, glove/socks and lawn detritus covered hat. I lined up with my friend Emily (the girl I beat at the Run for Hungry Children 5K in April and then almost puked on her shoes). Emily was planning on running 20:00 or faster as I was. The plan was to egg each other on to get under that mark.

The gun went off and Emily shot away. I yelled at her, "What's the hurry?" She said "C'mon!" I stayed where I was because I didn't want to go that fast.

I tucked in behind a few fool-hardy high school kids until we hit the tree line and then I started picking them up and putting them down. I hit the mile, which I think was off, in 6:17 and hit the turnaround in 10:30 with my buddy Nyle. I'm not sure if the turnaround is really the halfway point or not but it has to be pretty close. 10:30 at the halfway doesn't equate to a sub-20:00. I surged pretty hard with Nyle and we passed even more people heading toward the 2 mile mark. Nyle and I go back and forth quite a bit. I'll beat him a few races after passing him late and he'll get me the next race or two. We have a pretty decent rivalry but I think I have the edge because I'm about 20 years younger and have a better kick. He is pretty fun to race though and we pushed each other pretty hard the last bit of this race.

We hit the second mile mark in 11:57 but I'm gonna go ahead and say that their's no way I ran a 5:39 mile and ran within one second of my post-married life PR. Nyle got the best of me heading out of the treeline but only after we passed another three or four people. We were running with two other teenagers at this point and Nyle attacked and built up a lead of no more than five seconds with about 800 to go. Out of nowhere I got a second wind and could see Emily only ten seconds ahead. With about 600 to go I started sprinting. I dropped the high school kids and started gaining on Nyle. Right around the three mile mark we turned into the final straight and I kicked past Nyle and came within a whisker of getting Emily at the finish. I didn't puke though.

I stopped my watch as I crossed the line in 19:59.59. Emily must have run 19:58.xx as her time was 19:59 and mine was 20:00 in the official results, these were the same guys who did the timing for the Parade Run (11:59.68 but 12:00 official). Nyle finished one place behind me in 20:05. I ran from the turnaround to the finish in 9:28.

I placed 19th overall, 17th overall male and finally completed my collection of age group medals with a win in the 30-34 age group to go with two second place finishes and a third in 25-29. The after race party was crazy busy and when I finally decided to brave the line for food there was NOTHING left! No coffee, no bananas, no muffins, nothing.

I went home, drank coffee and did homework.