OK, so I probably really need to fire my race planner. How do I pick all these races??
I went this morning to do the
Sgt Pat 5K in Long Branch, and it was pretty much Sandy Hook TT all over again (cold gusty winds), plus torrential rain. Which didn't prevent people from showing up in big numbers, I don't think there were much less than last year.
It's a nice course along the boardwalk, and the ocean looked rough, spectacular waves which were breaking really close to the boards, like it usually does when some tropical storm gets nearby. There was a strong wind right along the coast, which would make for a fun run one way, and horrible one the other way.
We started with the wind, and it almost felt warm. Crazy me, I went out in shorts, and no gloves, so I'd been freezing the entire time up to the start. Big mistake. But I warmed up quick while getting the tailwind... However for some reason I didn't push hard enough. First mile was about 7:10. Last year I remember going very fast with the tailwind, and then at least a minute per mile slower, against the wind.
After the turn around it got bad, all that freezing wind in my face. The course was quite hazardous... the road surface is quite rough, so there was a lot of standing water, big puddles, a few times I went ankle deep. Lots of splashing all around. So I lost some time during the small turn-around loop, trying to dodge people who were dodging other people dodging the puddles. 2nd mile was about 7:50. So I was ready for a much slower final mile and maybe 24 minutes or more.
However, on the way back, against the wind, I saw something I've never seen in a running race: drafting! We formed this long line of about 7-8 runners, and were running in a paceline! It felt so easy despite the 20-30mph wind gusts, and the guy in front was running a 7:30 pace, just what I needed. Some people were dropping, others were joining, but I thought it was so cool! Because the wind was a bit from the side, we even ran in an echelon. But more and more people were dropped, and I ended up just behind that guy with the PBA shirt. They changed the course a bit from last year, so we passed the finish line, having to go another quarter mile against the wind, and turning to get to the finish. And around that time, the leading guy dropped and I was all alone against the forces of nature. And it was a horrible quarter mile. It felt like I couldn't make any forward progress. I looked back, hoping that guy could get back in front... or anybody else, but there was nobody close! I struggled all the way to the turn around and then, as the wind suddenly stopped, I had no more energy to kick to the end.
But all this drafting helped me get a 7:30 final mile, and a very nice
finish time of 23:33 (according to my Garmin, official was 23:35). This is a new
post-injury PR for me. And not far from last year's time of 23:21 (which at the time was an absolute PR). As I stopped, all the cold struck me at once, and I was shivering very badly so I immediately headed out for my car. Only later I found out I'd actually got
3rd place out of 24 in my competitive age group, which is not bad at all! With the out-and-back course, I should've been able to judge how many people my age were ahead, but my sunglasses were so covered with water that I could barely see... I also ranked 46 out of the 355 runners, so pretty much the front-of-the-pack.
So we all had fun, some had even more fun that should be allowed! After the race, a few runners were plunging into a mud pit next to the finish. I would've done it too if I werent' wearing my cycling jacket. Oh, and they had these very cool chips for the race, first time I see them. Kind of disposable paper timing chips, with their electrical circuit visible embedded in the paper.
I went this morning to do the Sgt Pat 5K in Long Branch, and it was pretty much Sandy Hook TT all over again (cold gusty winds), plus torrential rain. Which didn't prevent people from showing up in big numbers, I don't think there were much less than last year.
It's a nice course along the boardwalk, and the ocean looked rough, spectacular waves which were breaking really close to the boards, like it usually does when some tropical storm gets nearby. There was a strong wind right along the coast, which would make for a fun run one way, and horrible one the other way.
We started with the wind, and it almost felt warm. Crazy me, I went out in shorts, and no gloves, so I'd been freezing the entire time up to the start. Big mistake. But I warmed up quick while getting the tailwind... However for some reason I didn't push hard enough. First mile was about 7:10. Last year I remember going very fast with the tailwind, and then at least a minute per mile slower, against the wind.
After the turn around it got bad, all that freezing wind in my face. The course was quite hazardous... the road surface is quite rough, so there was a lot of standing water, big puddles, a few times I went ankle deep. Lots of splashing all around. So I lost some time during the small turn-around loop, trying to dodge people who were dodging other people dodging the puddles. 2nd mile was about 7:50. So I was ready for a much slower final mile and maybe 24 minutes or more.
However, on the way back, against the wind, I saw something I've never seen in a running race: drafting! We formed this long line of about 7-8 runners, and were running in a paceline! It felt so easy despite the 20-30mph wind gusts, and the guy in front was running a 7:30 pace, just what I needed. Some people were dropping, others were joining, but I thought it was so cool! Because the wind was a bit from the side, we even ran in an echelon. But more and more people were dropped, and I ended up just behind that guy with the PBA shirt. They changed the course a bit from last year, so we passed the finish line, having to go another quarter mile against the wind, and turning to get to the finish. And around that time, the leading guy dropped and I was all alone against the forces of nature. And it was a horrible quarter mile. It felt like I couldn't make any forward progress. I looked back, hoping that guy could get back in front... or anybody else, but there was nobody close! I struggled all the way to the turn around and then, as the wind suddenly stopped, I had no more energy to kick to the end.
But all this drafting helped me get a 7:30 final mile, and a very nice finish time of 23:33 (according to my Garmin, official was 23:35). This is a new post-injury PR for me. And not far from last year's time of 23:21 (which at the time was an absolute PR). As I stopped, all the cold struck me at once, and I was shivering very badly so I immediately headed out for my car. Only later I found out I'd actually got 3rd place out of 24 in my competitive age group, which is not bad at all! With the out-and-back course, I should've been able to judge how many people my age were ahead, but my sunglasses were so covered with water that I could barely see... I also ranked 46 out of the 355 runners, so pretty much the front-of-the-pack.
So we all had fun, some had even more fun that should be allowed! After the race, a few runners were plunging into a mud pit next to the finish. I would've done it too if I werent' wearing my cycling jacket. Oh, and they had these very cool chips for the race, first time I see them. Kind of disposable paper timing chips, with their electrical circuit visible embedded in the paper.