Successful Weekend of Racing!

Let's begin with the Strides for Rides trail race in Prattville, Alabama. My daughter Andrea, who trains on trails in the Birmingham area quite frequently, ran in this race, which supports the Spirit Horse Therapeutic Center. This was Andrea's first trail race and she finished the 3.3 mile course in 32:40, good enough for 1st in her age division (20-39) and fifth overall out of 48 runners. Andrea is now a professional runner as she picked up a $50 gift card for her effort!

The Scare Brain Cancer Away 5k race was held Saturday in East Rochester, NY. It is a great course (roads) and chip timing for the start and finish. Eileen W led the way of the four Sal's runners with her second place age group finish (25:16). Mike W. took third in his age group (22:23). Jan picked up some RROY points, finishing 5th in her age group (out of 30) 27:12. I had a decent race, finishing in 22:55, 10th in my age group and hopefully getting one point in RROY.
Besides perfect race temperatures the post race food was as good as advertised, with subs, pizza, fruit and more.

Next up, the East Avenue Grocery Run 5k in downtown Rochester on November 7. Another flat course and RROY race. Well, that race plus a little half-marathon at DisneyWorld that Andrea's boyfriend will be racing on November 7, beginning at 10pm. The Wine and Dine half-marathon includes a party at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival that goes until 4am.

Race For Race Shape?

Saturday is the 7th annual Scare Brain Cancer Away 5k in Rochester. This race is also a Rochester Runner of the Year Race. Jan is currently in fourth place in her age group and with three races to go has a good shot at finishing in the top three. I am in a tie for ninth place and have little chance to finish in the top five and be eligible for an award.

I've been having an internal debate on why I should race this weekend for at least two weeks. This coincides with the last time I did any real speed training. My guess is I'll run my guts out and finish around a pace that ten years ago I could have maintained for 13.1 miles or longer. Anyone else I would have ready answers for why that is okay, even quite good. The bald guy sitting on my right shoulder hiding his belly fat keeps harping on that fact, whispering in my ear to accept what I am. The skinny, fast, bald guy on the left tells me running that slow is unacceptable and my fate is not sealed, there is still hope.

I'm going with the left shoulder runner. He is even wearing matching clothing and lightweight race shoes. He looks like a racer. The left shoulder guy tells me that this Saturday's 5k will be hard, but great training for the next RROY race, another 5k (the East Avenue Grocery Run), and then, on Thanksgiving morning, the last race in the series, the 25th annual Race with Grace 10k.

Besides, the race Saturday has pizza, Dibella's subs, and more post-race delights. Even if the left shoulder racer is wrong, the right side runner will be fed and happy!

Spectating at the Wineglass Marathon

·  Last weekend was the Wineglass Marathon and half-marathon. The marathon began in Bath, NY and went to Corning, the half began in Campbell, NY. The weather was perfect for long-distance running, around 50 at the start and ending around 60 degrees. Mike W. ran the marathon and Eileen W. ran the half-marathon. Jan, Lou, Joanne and I drove down in the wee hours of the morning hoping to follow them around by car. I also hoped to meet up with MW and run with him the last 3-4 miles. The course design (point to point) makes it fairly easy to see the racers at several places, as you can exit off the expressway and drive a half mile or so to see them go by on country roads. 

There are several things I learned while spectating and later, pacing, at this event; 

1.  Watching runners in marathons is interesting. You really can’t tell how fast or long someone can run by looking at their body shape or running style. 
2.  Lou is amazing finding parking spots. He was able to get so close to the action we hardly had to get out of the car. A spot barely big enough for an Urkel car was twice the size of what he needed for parking his Honda. 
   
3.  There should be food/coffee trucks for spectators in point to point races. We get hungry too.
4. It's easy to smile for the cameras when you’ve only run a mile or two.
5. I like that people thought I had run 24 miles and still didn’t break a sweat.
6. Pacers notice the scenery much more than runners who have been putting one foot in front of the other for three hours.
7. Who needs a water stop? Not me!
8. For the first time ever I saw MW not scoop up money that was on the road. He couldn’t bend down far enough.
9. I could jog backwards waiting for MW to stroll through the water stop. I’ve never tried to run backwards in a marathon before. Maybe I would cramp less if I used that technique more often.
10. The last 3.5 miles of a marathon typically has no port-a-johns. This isn’t a problem for dehydrated racers, but became an issue for me. It’s not easy to find a “hiding” spot in the middle of Corning.