This one was last Sunday, July 17. It's another race in the Dirt Days series. For many years, this was the only trail race held in the Cincinnati area. I have done it a couple of times before but it was like 10 years ago, maybe longer.
East Fork State Park lies between St. Rt. 32 and 125, east of Cincinnati. The lake is a popular site for triathlons. The Backpack Trail is a well-established route, supposedly about 14 miles long in its entirety. This race used to be about 4 miles or a little over. Now it is a 5.6 mile and a 10.8 mile. You can use either race to count towards Dirt Days series points and Dirty Dozen standings, but the formats of the race are slightly different. The longer race is just a "normal" race with everybody starting at the same time. The shorter race has a handicapped start. Back in the day, they used to give out special shirts to the top 25 finishers in the handicapped race, but I think they've stopped that.now. I wasn't 100% sure about that so I still wanted to try to finish in the top 25.
I was doing the shorter race. I was just not up for 10 miles in the woods in this heat and humidity. The shorter race was going to be hard enough for me. I had spent the previous two days running the dogs in agility, and I was tired. And I really wasn't much in the mood for this race, but I had to go and get a finish time if I wanted to get those Dirt Days series points.
One of the things about it that I really wasn't looking forward to was getting passed by all those younger and faster people, due to the handicapped start. I had some unpleasant memories from the previous races of getting passed by almost everybody who started behind me, and only passing a couple of people myself. And now I would be starting earlier since I am much older, so maybe even more people were going to pass me, and there really weren't many people starting ahead of me that I could pass. I would have preferred a traditional mass start, like they were having in the longer race.
But East Fork Lake is so pretty that it immediately put me in a better mood. So even though it was muggy and miserable, once I got there I was ready to race. I picked up my numbers (front and back for this thing!), and the volunteers helped me pin the one on my back. I did a little 10 minute warm-up jog around the parking lot. I visited the portapotties, twice. I asked Bob Roncker why the race was so much longer than it used to be. He said that over the years people have cleared out more area for the trails, so it has just gradually gotten longer.
I debated wearing a fanny pack with a GU and a bottle of water. I wouldn't need that for a 5 mile road race but I was anticipating being out there for well over an hour on the trails. Bob said that there was just one water stop, in a parking lot in the middle of the race. Or maybe it was a little before the middle. Or a little after. I decided to wear the fanny pack.
The first runner went off at 8 am with a 30-minute handicap. So, the "open" runners started at 8:30. The rest of us were distributed across that 30 minute period based on age, sex, and "previous performances" (whatever that means, as Bob was doing the handicapping). I had a 24 minute handicap, so I started at 8:06. The first runner was an older guy (he ultimately wins the race), and then there were a few women after him, so there were about 6 people ahead of me. Two of the women I thought I might be able to pass, but probably not the others.
What is Up with This?
I thought I was to start by myself based on the pre-race info I had seen, but to my surprise there was another woman lined up next to me at the start. She had apparently been a late registrant, which wasn't supposed to be allowed but I guess Bob let her in anyway.
No big deal, except I looked at this woman and there was just no way she was 52 years old. She looked like maybe somewhere in her late 20s, early 30s and certainly no older than 35. I'm a poor judge of age, but this woman was way younger than I am!
Even 52-year-old movie stars do not look as good as this chick. Fit, tan, long blond hair, no wrinkles. I hated her immediately.
So, I can't help myself, I have to say to her that I think she should be starting at least 10 minutes behind me, maybe 15. I do mean it as a compliment, sort of, and that is how she takes it.
I was interested to see how fast she would take off. If Bob had done the handicapping properly, this much younger woman has to be very slow. Otherwise, he really should have put her further back.
Well, off we go and guess what, she takes off up the hill---you have to run up a steep hill for a couple tenths of a mile or so before you hit the trail---and it is obvious that either she does not know what she is doing or she is much faster than I am. I catch up a little when we first hit the trail but that does not last long, and soon she is out of sight, and I am alone. For awhile. Ultimately, she beats me by 9 minutes. So much for Bob's handicapping. Now if she had started ten minutes behind me where she should have been, maybe I could have held her off. But mostly, it wasn't fair to the other women her age, who had to start far behind her.
Alone in the Woods, for Awhile
I did not have much memory of what the trails were like at East Fork. Basically, they are less technical than at some of the other races, but fairly narrow. Although it had been dry for awhile in the days leading up to the race, there was a bit of rain the day before, so there were a few slippery spots. The problem was, it was hard to tell where the slippery spots were. When it's all slippery, it's somewhat easier because you just know it and deal with it. When you never know where you might fall, it's a little more dangerous. That's my opinion, anyway.
I found the first part of the race to be the most difficult. That part of the trail was very narrow, and on the edge of a hill. I was glad the whole thing wasn't like that. In this early section of the race, I also heard a tree fall down somewhere close to me, which was a bit unsettling. The tree cover was very dense, so the woods were very shady. Despite the shade, it was still plenty hot and humid. Worse, I was wearing sunglasses. Even worse, they kept fogging up. But since I wear prescription lenses, I couldn't take them off. I am almost blind without my glasses.
It took me about 15 minutes or so to catch the two women that I thought I would pass. We discussed how much faster the other woman who started with me was. They said she was really flying, and I said there was no way she was 52 years old.
(I have been obsessing about this since the race. From the results, it looks like she was actually 43. An extremely well-preserved 43. Bob says he put her where he did based on her previous performances. I still think he made a calculation error.)
About 24 minutes into the race, I was passed by an older (well, he's also in his 50s) guy, somebody I knew was going to pass me at some point, even though he started 9 minutes after me. He went on to finish second overall.
I don't remember it all too clearly anymore and it's only been a week and a half.
I was really glad I had that water bottle. I took a sip from it every ten minutes or so. After about 30 minutes, I was wondering where the little parking lot area with the water stop was. It used to be the middle of the race and now was supposed to be two miles in, or two and a half miles in. I heard a guy fall down somewhere behind me, and then there was some cursing.
Finally we hit the parking lot, and the guy who had fallen came up behind me and he was whining about how awful the race was. I didn't understand what his problem was because it really wasn't that bad, as trail races go. Well-marked course, trails in reasonable shape. And here was an aid station with water. What was he whining about? We passed a volunteer and she radioed in to Bob that # 709 (me) had just come through and was "looking strong." I thanked her for that because it gave me a little lift.
And on and on and on. I think it was flatter after this point. Mostly. More people were passing me now. Lots of guys and a few women. I had thought about counting them but gave up on that. Just wanted to finish and not be last. One of the guys who went by was really fast and I wondered if he was the last to start.
Since I didn't really know where I was and how much was left to run, it was all a bit disconcerting. Around 47 minutes into the race I had the GU. What the heck. At least I was managing to stay on course, which is always a challenge for me in these things. The race was for me a weird mix of lonely stretches, punctuated by having to step off the trail to let faster runners go by. It was hard to stay motivated. I walked a few times, then woke up and started running again. The trail was narrower and the tree cover denser than the trails I run on at home. I found it a little spooky and claustrophobic when nobody else was around. I would not like to run those trails all by myself for very long.
I started to feel a blister forming on my big left bunion. Or maybe it was when it popped that I started to feel it. I was wearing my Salomon trail shoes, that are light and breatheable, but I had pulled the laces a little too tight in the toes.
Bob had said that when we passed by the clearing with the little backpack huts, there was around a mile to go. Maybe. The details are always a bit vague. Finally we hit something that looked like that description. And then there was some uphill. I thought I remembered the uphill from the race years ago. On the last hill, I got passed by a twelve year old boy. And then, just coming out of the woods and back to the road that led to the parking lot, I got passed by a 35 yr. old guy. Later I was wishing I had tried harder to stay ahead of them both. But who am I kidding? They started long after me and they caught me, so it is unlikely I could have stayed ahead once they caught up to me.
I did run fairly hard down that last hill towards the beach, anyway.
Official time was 1:07:43, or just a little slower than I had expected. I was thinking 1:06, so I was close. Maybe if I hadn't walked in a few spots. For Dirty Dozen scoring purposes, I was 13th of 25 women. In terms of my actual finish spot, however, I was 26 of 61 runners (and was thinking that wow, if they still gave out those shirts to the top 25 I would have just missed one!) and 9 of 25 women. My age-graded time was also not so hot, 31 of 61. At least I did not get lapped by any of the 10 milers, the first of whom finished just behind me.
I stayed around for a little bit after the race, anyway, and had a cinnamon crunch bagel and a banana. Took off my wet, nasty shoes and socks, and found the first aid kit in my car to treat the blister.
I am going to miss the next two races in this series, one for a dog show and one for the Leading Ladies marathon. My next race, however, is the Lady Distance Classic 10k on August 6.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Hyde Park Blast 2011
Saturday June 25 was the 10th anniversary running of the Hyde Park Blast four-mile road race. Although it has never been one of my favorites, I have nevertheless shown up to run it for nine of those ten years.
Why is it not one of my favorites, even though it takes place in my neighborhood? One reason is that from the outset it seemed to be organized by people who did not really understand what runners wanted in an ideal race. For example, the first few years when we had to wear those ridiculous ankle straps with the gigantic timing chips. And the screw ups with the results, and the aid stations, and the start time, that they had the first couple of years. But things have gradually improved, and there isn't so much for me to find fault with any more---which will not stop me from dissing it!
Why Don't I Like This Race?
So now, mostly, the problem I have with it is just that even though it takes place in my neighborhood, it is not the kind of friendly neighborhood race that I love. It's too big and there is too much hoopla surrounding it. In addition to the race, there is the block party, the cycling race, the 5k “elite” race.
And when there is hoopla, I have higher standards of perfection. If you are going to make me big promises, you have to deliver. And this race consistently fails on that score.
But I am probably being too harsh. Anyway, this year it was mostly okay.
The event is a fundraiser for various charities involved with cancer, and they say they have donated over $220k since 2001. I am surprised that the figure isn't a lot higher, considering the number of participants in all the events and the level of corporate sponsorship. Seriously, I would be less critical if I thought they were giving more money to charity. Do the math: 3000 entrants in the 4-mile race this year at $30 a head? And all they've been able to donate in ten years is $220k? There are single individuals who have raised more than that running for charity (I think the TNT record is close to $650k by one man over 20 years). I know there are a lot of costs associated with putting on a race, but isn't that what the sponsors are for?
Anyway, I picked up my race shirt, number and chip at The Running Spot on Friday afternoon. One nice thing this year is that we got our chips at packet pickup. In previous years, we had to pick them up at the start, which made for a lot of chaos on race morning. One not so nice thing is that they wanted us to pick up our goodie bags (which have always been quite well-stocked at this race) AFTER the race. For me, the issue is that I am jogging to and from the race, so if I have to lug a bag home I probably won't be jogging.
A Bit of Shopping and More Whining
Used the opportunity to take a little look around the store merchandise to see if there was anything I wanted to buy. After all, I had to pay $1 to park in the lot across the street, and my hour wasn't up yet. They had a sale on Merrill sandals, and I picked up a pair. They were all out on a table so I was able to try them on myself without any assistance. Which was a good thing because all the clerks were occupied with other customers.
After I found my sandals, I stood for a few minutes at the cash register and waited for someone to come check me out. After a bit of waiting, I began to ask myself whether or not I really wanted these sandals. I looked down at my watch and decided I would give them one more minute before I left empty handed.
This is a great store. A couple of years ago it was named the #1 Specialty Running Store in America, or some such thing. The owner and founder of the store does a tremendous job supporting running in our community. But I don't shop there as much as I used to, since the universe created Zappos and Amazon and Road Runner Sports. I don't want to shop online, necessarily. I would prefer to give my business to local merchants. But if I have to pay to park across the street from the store, and then wait around for someone to notice that I am ready to make a purchase (after I have already waited on myself by selecting and trying on the item without any assistance), well, sorry brick and mortar store, but you are going to lose me.
Perhaps I am not really their target market? This is, after all, one of the first places that someone said to me that I didn't look like a runner. This is the place where the sales clerk asked me if I was going to wear the shoes I was trying on "for running." (Yes, it has been years now and I am still not over it.)
Anyway, before the minute was up, someone did come to wait on me. She said they were extra busy because of all the traffic from the race. I thought that was probably the point of having packet pickup in the store, but whatever. The good thing is that she let me use the coupon for an extra $10 off that I had picked up with my race number. But I am whining here on the Internet about it anyway. That is just how it goes.
But I digress.
What's Good About this Race
There are some things that I do like about this race. As I mentioned, they usually provide pretty good swag. Over the years, they have handed out assorted and occasionally useful small tote bags, various hot and cold beverage containers, little covered canisters that I still use to store dog treats and nuts, a key chain (I still use that, too), and socks. Lots of good stuff.
This year there was to be a cold beverage container and an insulated tote bag. But we weren't getting them until after the race.
They also have better race t-shirts than average. The last couple of years, we've gotten technical tops. This year, the women's shirts are hot pink.
And, for me, oh yeah, the start and finish is about a mile and a half from my house.
The Race
On Saturday morning, I left the house around 7:30 am. The race was to start at 8, so that would give me plenty of time to jog down there, and I wouldn't have to hang out for too long waiting. It was a pleasant morning, a bit cooler than usual, but sunny.
I got to the start just as they were beginning to encourage people to line up. There was a good crowd---about 3000 people registered, and ultimately, 2517 finishers. And as is often the case at the bigger local races, I didn't see anybody I recognized! It is kind of funny how at a 200-person 5k I can look around and recognize almost everybody there, but at a 2500 person race I don't see anybody who looks familiar.
There were a lot of people wearing the race shirt. What is up with that? Don't they know it's bad luck to wear it before the race?
Found a good spot on the left side of the street, not too far back. There is chip timing but I didn't want to get stuck behind a bunch of walkers.
Still, it takes me 30 seconds to reach the start line. Good thing we are using the chip!
My goal is 35 minutes, or about an 8:45 pace. That will be a few minutes faster than last year, and is a little slower than predicted by my recent 5k. I am a little lighter than last year and in a little better shape. OTOH, this race is hilly and that 5k a few weeks ago was flat. So 35 minutes sounds just about right.
The race starts with a gradual climb, followed by a shorter, steeper hill but you also get to go down the other side. The second mile is a long uphill. The third mile is mostly downhill. And the last mile starts with about a quarter mile up hill, and then it is mostly downhill to the finish.
So my race strategy based on my experience at this race is to run comfortably hard for the first two miles---but not to flip out if I am over my goal pace, especially in the second mile. Then I make up time in the third mile, try not to push too hard on the last hill, and run hard to the finish.
And that is about how it goes. Mile one takes me 9:12, which still manages to get me worried until I remember the 30 seconds at the start. So it's more like 8:42, or right on pace. In the second mile, we pass by my old house. The new residents are maintaining it well but I do wish they would paint the tool shed. Mile 2 is 8:57. No worries, this is the uphill mile.
In mile 3, I come upon someone I recognize for the first time in this race. It is Judy Harmony, whom I know from dog agility. She used to run a Miniature Poodle. She put a MACH on it. I have not seen her at a dog event in several years, but I still see her at the occasional road race. She used to be faster than me but she is slowing down. But she is still fast for her age---she will win her age group. On an age-graded basis, she is still faster than me.
Later, I will see in the results that my friend David Jones was also at the race, and will win his age group, but I did not see him at the start. Also a couple of other dog training friends were there, but I didn't see them either. That makes just four people I knew in a crowd of over 2500 runners and assorted hangers-on. At a race that takes place a mile and a half from my house. Amazing.
I think about saying hello to Judy but I don't have that much energy. I pass Judy somewhere near the three mile mark. Mile 3 took me 8:38.
Now we're climbing the hill. There is always a lot of whining about this hill, but it is really no big deal. It is steeper than the hill in mile two, but not that long. I decide to time myself going up the hill. It takes me just about two minutes. I'm not even that fast, and I get up it in two minutes. Everybody quit the whining!
Now I am starting to regret the feta stuffed olives I had the night before, however.
I run down the hill and back out to Erie Ave. I decide I will not start to "kick" until I can actually see the finish line. When you turn the corner onto Erie, there is just a little rise for a block or so until you start downhill.
I accelerate and start passing people. I do not understand these people who slow down when they are approaching the finish line. It is a race, people! So at the finish, I do have to slow down because there are all these people around me just coming to a dead stop and I don't want to run them over.
Fourth mile time was 8:31. I let them cut my chip off my shoe, and I grab some water and Powerade. I am thinking about picking up the promised swag---the drink bottle and the little lunch bag---but then I see a big long line for them, same deal with the food. I just can't stand this waiting on line thing after a race. So I just start walking home with my water and Powerade. I don't really need another plastic drink bottle and I certainly don't need another tote bag of any kind.
I was not sure of my official time because I didn't know exactly how long I took to cross the start, and I did not stop my watch as soon as I crossed the finish line. But later in the afternoon I saw in the results that my chip time was 34:49, or just about what I expected as a reasonable goal, 8:43 pace.
My time put me 4 of 98 in my age group (sounds better than it is), 252 of 1501 women, and 686 of 2517 finishers. My age group placement sounds better than it is because a lot of those 98 women were walkers, and it looks like most of the fast women in my age group weren't there. Remember, I didn't see anybody I recognized at the start line. Where they went, I am not sure. I checked the results of a 5k that was happening the same day, and I didn't recognize the names of anybody who ran that one either. And, get this, I would have been the FIRST overall female in that race. Seriously. So are all the fast old ladies on vacation?
Fourth out of 98 would surely win you some sort of prize in most road races. But not in this one. They don't do age group awards. They give prizes to the top 50 men and top 50 women. This unfairly penalizes us older folk. Unfair! I guess that is another reason I don't like this race. I would feel better about it if they actually gave more money to charity, instead of promoting themselves as a charitable event and yet spending most of the money, on what, I am not entirely sure. I would hope that most of the swag and all of the food was donated by the many corporate sponsors.
But I will show up and run it again next year anyway if I do not have anyplace else to be that day!
Why is it not one of my favorites, even though it takes place in my neighborhood? One reason is that from the outset it seemed to be organized by people who did not really understand what runners wanted in an ideal race. For example, the first few years when we had to wear those ridiculous ankle straps with the gigantic timing chips. And the screw ups with the results, and the aid stations, and the start time, that they had the first couple of years. But things have gradually improved, and there isn't so much for me to find fault with any more---which will not stop me from dissing it!
Why Don't I Like This Race?
So now, mostly, the problem I have with it is just that even though it takes place in my neighborhood, it is not the kind of friendly neighborhood race that I love. It's too big and there is too much hoopla surrounding it. In addition to the race, there is the block party, the cycling race, the 5k “elite” race.
And when there is hoopla, I have higher standards of perfection. If you are going to make me big promises, you have to deliver. And this race consistently fails on that score.
But I am probably being too harsh. Anyway, this year it was mostly okay.
The event is a fundraiser for various charities involved with cancer, and they say they have donated over $220k since 2001. I am surprised that the figure isn't a lot higher, considering the number of participants in all the events and the level of corporate sponsorship. Seriously, I would be less critical if I thought they were giving more money to charity. Do the math: 3000 entrants in the 4-mile race this year at $30 a head? And all they've been able to donate in ten years is $220k? There are single individuals who have raised more than that running for charity (I think the TNT record is close to $650k by one man over 20 years). I know there are a lot of costs associated with putting on a race, but isn't that what the sponsors are for?
Anyway, I picked up my race shirt, number and chip at The Running Spot on Friday afternoon. One nice thing this year is that we got our chips at packet pickup. In previous years, we had to pick them up at the start, which made for a lot of chaos on race morning. One not so nice thing is that they wanted us to pick up our goodie bags (which have always been quite well-stocked at this race) AFTER the race. For me, the issue is that I am jogging to and from the race, so if I have to lug a bag home I probably won't be jogging.
A Bit of Shopping and More Whining
Used the opportunity to take a little look around the store merchandise to see if there was anything I wanted to buy. After all, I had to pay $1 to park in the lot across the street, and my hour wasn't up yet. They had a sale on Merrill sandals, and I picked up a pair. They were all out on a table so I was able to try them on myself without any assistance. Which was a good thing because all the clerks were occupied with other customers.
After I found my sandals, I stood for a few minutes at the cash register and waited for someone to come check me out. After a bit of waiting, I began to ask myself whether or not I really wanted these sandals. I looked down at my watch and decided I would give them one more minute before I left empty handed.
This is a great store. A couple of years ago it was named the #1 Specialty Running Store in America, or some such thing. The owner and founder of the store does a tremendous job supporting running in our community. But I don't shop there as much as I used to, since the universe created Zappos and Amazon and Road Runner Sports. I don't want to shop online, necessarily. I would prefer to give my business to local merchants. But if I have to pay to park across the street from the store, and then wait around for someone to notice that I am ready to make a purchase (after I have already waited on myself by selecting and trying on the item without any assistance), well, sorry brick and mortar store, but you are going to lose me.
Perhaps I am not really their target market? This is, after all, one of the first places that someone said to me that I didn't look like a runner. This is the place where the sales clerk asked me if I was going to wear the shoes I was trying on "for running." (Yes, it has been years now and I am still not over it.)
Anyway, before the minute was up, someone did come to wait on me. She said they were extra busy because of all the traffic from the race. I thought that was probably the point of having packet pickup in the store, but whatever. The good thing is that she let me use the coupon for an extra $10 off that I had picked up with my race number. But I am whining here on the Internet about it anyway. That is just how it goes.
But I digress.
What's Good About this Race
There are some things that I do like about this race. As I mentioned, they usually provide pretty good swag. Over the years, they have handed out assorted and occasionally useful small tote bags, various hot and cold beverage containers, little covered canisters that I still use to store dog treats and nuts, a key chain (I still use that, too), and socks. Lots of good stuff.
This year there was to be a cold beverage container and an insulated tote bag. But we weren't getting them until after the race.
They also have better race t-shirts than average. The last couple of years, we've gotten technical tops. This year, the women's shirts are hot pink.
And, for me, oh yeah, the start and finish is about a mile and a half from my house.
The Race
On Saturday morning, I left the house around 7:30 am. The race was to start at 8, so that would give me plenty of time to jog down there, and I wouldn't have to hang out for too long waiting. It was a pleasant morning, a bit cooler than usual, but sunny.
I got to the start just as they were beginning to encourage people to line up. There was a good crowd---about 3000 people registered, and ultimately, 2517 finishers. And as is often the case at the bigger local races, I didn't see anybody I recognized! It is kind of funny how at a 200-person 5k I can look around and recognize almost everybody there, but at a 2500 person race I don't see anybody who looks familiar.
There were a lot of people wearing the race shirt. What is up with that? Don't they know it's bad luck to wear it before the race?
Found a good spot on the left side of the street, not too far back. There is chip timing but I didn't want to get stuck behind a bunch of walkers.
Still, it takes me 30 seconds to reach the start line. Good thing we are using the chip!
My goal is 35 minutes, or about an 8:45 pace. That will be a few minutes faster than last year, and is a little slower than predicted by my recent 5k. I am a little lighter than last year and in a little better shape. OTOH, this race is hilly and that 5k a few weeks ago was flat. So 35 minutes sounds just about right.
The race starts with a gradual climb, followed by a shorter, steeper hill but you also get to go down the other side. The second mile is a long uphill. The third mile is mostly downhill. And the last mile starts with about a quarter mile up hill, and then it is mostly downhill to the finish.
So my race strategy based on my experience at this race is to run comfortably hard for the first two miles---but not to flip out if I am over my goal pace, especially in the second mile. Then I make up time in the third mile, try not to push too hard on the last hill, and run hard to the finish.
And that is about how it goes. Mile one takes me 9:12, which still manages to get me worried until I remember the 30 seconds at the start. So it's more like 8:42, or right on pace. In the second mile, we pass by my old house. The new residents are maintaining it well but I do wish they would paint the tool shed. Mile 2 is 8:57. No worries, this is the uphill mile.
In mile 3, I come upon someone I recognize for the first time in this race. It is Judy Harmony, whom I know from dog agility. She used to run a Miniature Poodle. She put a MACH on it. I have not seen her at a dog event in several years, but I still see her at the occasional road race. She used to be faster than me but she is slowing down. But she is still fast for her age---she will win her age group. On an age-graded basis, she is still faster than me.
Later, I will see in the results that my friend David Jones was also at the race, and will win his age group, but I did not see him at the start. Also a couple of other dog training friends were there, but I didn't see them either. That makes just four people I knew in a crowd of over 2500 runners and assorted hangers-on. At a race that takes place a mile and a half from my house. Amazing.
I think about saying hello to Judy but I don't have that much energy. I pass Judy somewhere near the three mile mark. Mile 3 took me 8:38.
Now we're climbing the hill. There is always a lot of whining about this hill, but it is really no big deal. It is steeper than the hill in mile two, but not that long. I decide to time myself going up the hill. It takes me just about two minutes. I'm not even that fast, and I get up it in two minutes. Everybody quit the whining!
Now I am starting to regret the feta stuffed olives I had the night before, however.
I run down the hill and back out to Erie Ave. I decide I will not start to "kick" until I can actually see the finish line. When you turn the corner onto Erie, there is just a little rise for a block or so until you start downhill.
I accelerate and start passing people. I do not understand these people who slow down when they are approaching the finish line. It is a race, people! So at the finish, I do have to slow down because there are all these people around me just coming to a dead stop and I don't want to run them over.
Fourth mile time was 8:31. I let them cut my chip off my shoe, and I grab some water and Powerade. I am thinking about picking up the promised swag---the drink bottle and the little lunch bag---but then I see a big long line for them, same deal with the food. I just can't stand this waiting on line thing after a race. So I just start walking home with my water and Powerade. I don't really need another plastic drink bottle and I certainly don't need another tote bag of any kind.
I was not sure of my official time because I didn't know exactly how long I took to cross the start, and I did not stop my watch as soon as I crossed the finish line. But later in the afternoon I saw in the results that my chip time was 34:49, or just about what I expected as a reasonable goal, 8:43 pace.
My time put me 4 of 98 in my age group (sounds better than it is), 252 of 1501 women, and 686 of 2517 finishers. My age group placement sounds better than it is because a lot of those 98 women were walkers, and it looks like most of the fast women in my age group weren't there. Remember, I didn't see anybody I recognized at the start line. Where they went, I am not sure. I checked the results of a 5k that was happening the same day, and I didn't recognize the names of anybody who ran that one either. And, get this, I would have been the FIRST overall female in that race. Seriously. So are all the fast old ladies on vacation?
Fourth out of 98 would surely win you some sort of prize in most road races. But not in this one. They don't do age group awards. They give prizes to the top 50 men and top 50 women. This unfairly penalizes us older folk. Unfair! I guess that is another reason I don't like this race. I would feel better about it if they actually gave more money to charity, instead of promoting themselves as a charitable event and yet spending most of the money, on what, I am not entirely sure. I would hope that most of the swag and all of the food was donated by the many corporate sponsors.
But I will show up and run it again next year anyway if I do not have anyplace else to be that day!
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