Where in the World is Ceasar Rodney: Race Report

So just the week before we found our Champion finishing the CAL and successfully defending his title in the near freezing rain.  And yet another PR.  Well, after returning to Delaware an itch came over me and that was to finally break the 2 hour barrier on the Half Marathon.  If you remember I have come very close in the the Disney Half but was side tracked and missed the mark by 2 minutes.  I also missed by only 36 seconds in at Akron in 2007.  This is half of my only time goal these days and that is a sub 4 hour marathon.  I can’t get to that without breaking 2 for 13.1.   I had such an awesome run at the CAL I knew I was primed to take the Caesar Rodney by storm. 

This is where the brain got in my way again.  What have we detemined in prior posts here, here, and here that brain bad.  I had to get a long run this weekend and 13.1 is not quite a long run.  It is funny how stuff has been redefined.  Just a few years ago 13.1 was way more than a long run.  10 miles was a supreme effort.  Now 13.1 at race pace is not even considered a long run.  A long recovery run?  Maybe but not a long training run.  So I come up with the ultimate plan. 

I had been reading the 50/50 by Dean Karnezes and he mentioned that he does not run because he just enjoys it and that the goal is not just running but something else.  Well, I may have gotten that mixed up but it struck me, because, that is why I run.  Not for races which are awesome but for running.  Well, another thing that Karno has been known to do is run to and from races or park at the start of a point-2-point and run back after finishing.  What an awesome concept.  So here was my plan.

The Half had a 5k that started about an hour before it and the registration was open about an hour before that so I would drive down to Wilmington to register and get my chip and bib and drive back home to rest, gear up, and fuel up.  What a great plan, right.  Step B:  Once geared up, warm up.  So I ran the 3.5 miles to the start of the race from home with the full intentions to run back as a cool down.  It was a nice easy run nothing hard and a little down hill.  No issue.  Part 3:  Rock the race with PR.  How could I go wrong. 

Well, the first hiccup was that it was a little chilly and rainy and that would make things a little tougher when it came to that time between warm up and race.  The second is last week I pulled my quad a little and was not quite at 100%.  No matter.  I stepped out the door and took off down the road.  It was real funny as I got closer to Downtown Wilmington and started seeing other runners.  As I got to the start line there were some drinks (water and gatorade) from the 5k so I re-hydrated before the race started.  With the rain I was already getting wet and it was warming up so I was starting to over heat a little.  Not a big deal though. 

A little shaking and moving kept me warmed up and I gathered at the start line and waited for the “Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  I mean it could wake the dead in death valley the start cannon was so damn loud.  I was warned and I still jumped and took off like a greyhound.  Okay more like a Basset Hound but still it made me jump.   As with all races with defined start lines with chip mats there start line shuffle/walk/shuffle started.  So I hit the start line and I was at least at a run.  Then came the down hill weaving to the river front.  I had once again placed myself in a slower section.  The issue was that with a small field I that was only about 10 feet difference.  Either way I was on the hunt for a PR.  I remember hitting the first mile mark in the low 8s and things couldn’t feel better.  At this point is where the course started to double back and I saw the gazelles.  Those guys are fast. 

For the most part the most eventful part of the first 6 miles was not much.  The part that irked a little was after the time split at mile 1, that was it till mile 6.  All I knew at that point was that there were some hills to contend with and I needed to conserve a little before hitting them.  The other issue was that rain had stopped and it was warming up. 

When I hit the 6 mile mark I realized that try as I might, I was still not holding back.  At the same time I was primed and in time to PR and break the 2 hour mark.  I could not believe it then.  So many times have I actually broken the 2 hour mark in longer races.  Actually, if there were a split in the CAL 30k I would have shattered my PR and been hard pressed to better it.  But now, less than half way to the finish line I was on pace. 

Then it hit.  The first real hill.  It was was up to toward Tower Hill School.  It was not steep but it was long.  I mean real long.  It went up about a mile and turned level before heading up another hill for about half a mile before the worst of it, heading back down.  On top of it all most of the hill was a double back on the course so I got to see others coming back at me.  At this point I realized that running back home after the finish may not be a good idea.  The real good news is the turn around at the top of the hill is only a mile from home and Space and Rae were there.  I threw my now soaked over-shirt to them and informed Space that I need to be picked up at the finish. 

You could say that after all that up hill it would have been all down hill from there but, you could be wrong.  You are wrong.  Why?  Because the down hill ends below the finish line.  It was like the race directors took classes at Evil School (UVa or OSU) because there came a near wall that lasted for two blocks before the finish.  The finish was actually about 100 meters of flat but after running a hilly course for 13 miles the up hills can kill, the down hills show some relief but the flats just feel like up hills. It can mess with your head.  I think I need to bring a level to make sure whether I am going up, down, or straight. 

In any case I got to the top and saw just what I wanted to see.  I had approximately 7 minutes to cover the final 100meters to break 2 hours.  I gave it one last heave and there it was.  1:53:24.  Awesome.  According to my splits, I actually sped up on the last half of the race which was even better.  I was spent and needed liquid bad.  What a fantastic day just about the running and the medal and PR were just icing on the already great cake. 

I don’t know hos Caesar Rodney is but he put on a nice half marathon and on top of that it was a great primer for the Delaware Marathon.  If only I could learn from the course I had run.  Either way, PR baby!!!!!!!

Catch a Leprechaun 2009: The Defense (Race Report)

Well it has been a long time and I owe some reports.  First off I must apologize for the delay.  I have been real busy and somethings have gotten pushed to the side.  Well, it is time to update my race reports. 

There are things that I have missed since I moved from the Cleveland area to Delaware.  The first being an actual winter.  The second being the races that I left behind.  Well one that I will never leave behind is the Catch A Leprechaun 30k I love this race.  It is a fantastic tune up for marathon race pacing and very well put on. 

So after a long a grueling drive on a Friday evening from Wilmington I made it to the Red Roof Inn in Avon Lake.  This gave me a day to rest up, get a hair cut and the best fried rice ever made at Tay Do.  Yes I am willing to drive all the way to Cleveland (Berea) to get my hair cut.  Well, the gas prices have gone down and she know how I like my hair done. 

It turns out that in Congresses infinite wisdom the clocks now spring forward on the same day as the CAL ‘09.  I mean of all the things to mess with: the economy, taxes, mortgage regulation, tobacco, personal freedoms, socialism are all okay but screwing with a runners schedule is unacceptable.  That being said the race was postponed by about a half an hour.  No big deal.  It was still very dark when we left the hotel and drove the 2 miles to the packet pick up. 

Two years ago I ran (and won) this race in sub freezing weather with a biting head wind coming off of the frozen Lake Erie surface.  It was so bad that I “let” an older gentleman pass me for the sole purpose of drafting behind him.  It was awesome.  Last year we had a nice rain with cool weather that turned into a warm weather steam sauna.  Tough finish but still awesome.  This year had a new torturetwist.  Cold and Raining.  It was right at freezing but not enough to make snow or freezing rain and it was coming down.  When I looked out the window and at the weather channel I thought about putting on my warm running pants but decided that it was not that cold and the thinner ones were good enough.  To be honest, I would have been better off with just shorts or the warm pants.  The thin ones just soaked and stuck to my legs and I never really warmed through out the race.

Any way, I got the packet pickup and got everything order.  It was across the street from the start but it was warm and dry.  Eventually my buddy Dave got there and the Leprechaun himself Frank Zgrabik.  It was real nice seeing familiar faces at a race.  I feel like an outsider sometimes in the Delaware Valley.  Well the time was come for the start and we all reluctantly made our way to the line.  Rick has some instructions for us and we kind of paid attention but you could tell the majority of those running today were CAL Alumni.  We just kind of huddled under something till we had to start.

It starts and the gazelles, David and Frank take off and I get right into a comfortable pace.  It is cold and wet but all is good.  I have started one of my favorite races and it rocks.  This is where I can get into some real trouble.  The 15k and the 30k runners start at the same time and if I start pacing off of a 15k runner I could be going out way too fast.  The real bitch of it is that I started to think about the race with regards to the 15k.  The race is two 15k loops and being a NCN race has no split times except at the end of the loop.  Well, as the miles tick off Iam actually thinking stuff like “6 down, 3.3 to go.”  The problem is it was 12.6 to go.  The best part about this strategy is that segmenting my race into smaller races is how I got through my first half marathon and in a way how I get through my marathons.  

The good news is I hit the end of the first loop at 1:17.  The bad news is that I was totally soaked and real cold.  David sent me data on the day later it averaged at 38F.  The good news is that there is overlap of the loops at the beginning and end.  At that point I look for other “O’s”  An “O” on the racing bib means that you are in the Male Overweight Category (Clydesdale).  The “O” is just a coincidence.  This way I know if there are any competition that I may have to real in.  The really good news is that I say none.  I was in the lead.

Well, I switched caps and went on.  As I headed back out and hit the 5k turn around point (did I mention there is also a 5k), a fire was called in on a restaurant that just happens to be on the route.  Now I know that Fire bad.  For the love of all that is edible we want our food cooked on purpose.  Well, you might think that the fire being on the route as the bad thing.  The actual rough part is that the Police that were directing traffic around the runners were called off.  This left all of us with no road support.  I think there are drivers out there that are in wait for an opportunity like this because they seemed to be crawling out of the Northeast Ohio Pot Holes.  Cars started buzzing me and a few runners ahead of me were getting the same treatment.  I don’t blame the police because they were doing a fantastic job before and they had an emergency to tend to.  For the love of Prefontaine there were frying burgers that were about to be flame broiled. 

I eventually got of the main drag and into the neighborhoods and got settled down.  I was starting to get fatigued and because of the previous situation I had sped up to get off the main road quicker.  The funniest thing happened as some point on the second loop where I realized I had no idea what was playing on my MP3 player.  The music was there but I had tuned it out and my internal playlist was creeping in. It was disconcerting because I had never had my brain override my ears like that before.  No matter it was okay.  The rain was coming again and I need fuel.  Well, I had an e-gel ready.

I got the home stretch and speaking of my MP3 player, there are some songs that just get me going like The Distance by Cake, U-mass by the Pixies,   High Octane Salvation by The Dirtbombs, Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger, and The Distance by Cake.  Well, it was that song with just a mile and a half to go that came on.  It just propelled me on to the the finish line in 2:38 for another PR and to three time defending Champion.  That’s right I was once again I was the winner of the Fat Ass Division at the CAL ‘09.  I cannot wait till next year to see the next torture. 

On a side note, as I was trying to cool down I totally pulled my thigh.  It sucked but did not deter me from running the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon the next week.  Just wait for that report.

Been a long time

Hey, I been out of it for a while. Been real busy and all those excuses. Still running and still thinking. Stay tuned for some race reports and other Running Thoughts.

Ugly Mudder in Yellow: Race Report

I don’t know what it is but the Goofy got me into the back to back racing thing or I just don’t know when to call it a day.  Either way, when I was looking for races on Races2Run I saw this race the day after the Frostbite 5 Miler called the Ugly Mudder.  Now, my man Dave has gotten on me and nagged me and extolled the virtues of trail running and racing.  I have kind of stayed away from them with all of my road running aspirations ahead I did not want to risk getting injured.  I have already been injured and that recovery was tough enough.  I knew I was not going to avoid it forever but I figured I could do it on my terms.  Well there was the Ugly Mudder staring at me and it was the day after another race.  I thought about it and thought it would be a nice easy run.  It was on a Sunday (Long Run Day) so it would be more like a short long run at just 7.25 miles.  Easy was the best way to describe the drive into Reading, PA not the run.  There was nothing easy about this.

So there I was.  I woke up nice and early on Sunday and was considering going into Philly for a nice 20 miler for a training run.  It was about that time for a good long run around the river.  I sort of sat around waiting.  The Ugly Mudder did not start till 11 and I was not sure I would do it.  A training run was looking appealing.  Yeah, that’s right I thought a 20 mile run is more appealing than a 7.25 mile run.  Why are you looking so funny at me like that. 

Time wore on and Rachael finally woke up and I decided to I should grow a set and run this race.  I got myself ready and we were off.  The best part is that I didn’t actually know how far Reading was from home.  It is a good haul.  Either way, we get through the obscure directions:

Go 3 miles until road splits at Wachovia Bank.  300 yds later, JUST PAST Arners Restaurant, take right onto Glen Rd (sign missing, look for “Stokesay Castle” sign visible at last moment).  At end of Glen, turn right and then take your next right just 50 yards ahead.  Or follow the signs to Stokesay, the Liederkrantz driveway is right next to it.  

See what I mean.  It was messy and they parking was actually right next to the start line but the registration was a half mile up the road.  I mean UP!  All good.  I even got a cool shirt with a witch on the front.  I pin the number and leave my deposit at the little runners room and then head for the start line.  There are a bunch of us milling about waiting for things to start.  No matter, some guy who I assume to be someone in chargestarts yelling into the crowd a set of instructions.  Most has to do with if you get injure you are on your own.  Don’t stop to help any injured because they belong to the woods now and that kind of stuff.  He says to follow the orange flags that are posted every 15 feet to quarter mile apart.  He says that there will some aid station with water and at miles 4.25 and 5.75 there will be aid stations with alternative refreshment for those trying to kick that nasty water habit. 

Well, more babble/instructions that I cannot hear because the runner have turned into a bunch of kids waiting in Homeroom.  No big deal.  I am sure I will just follow and make my way through everything.  At this point is starting to snow.  What a treat.  It snows in the mountains of Pennsylvania and I am just beaming. 

We start and the first part is actually paved.  About a half mile up hill.  Nothing bad but a good way to start.  I am actually getting a little winded which is weird.  Maybe it is from racing yesterday and going out fast now.  I had no reason to be winded at this point and I had no need to go fast either.  We then turned to the trail and stopped.  Welcome to technical single track with lots of people.  The fact that they called this a trail was ludicrous because many of us went around to another “trail” to get around the back up and it was just as undefined. 

We were tredging up this very uneven path with way to many people.  What we were doing could hardly be called running as much as fast paces hiking and climbing.  When a few of us tried to go around a back up we tended to end up right back where we were in the first place behind the same people.  Then it came.  It was a hill and it was for climbing.  There was footing probably 30 minutes ago but now it was trampled down.  As I climbed to the top, a volunteer at the top said, “don’t worry, the leader had to walk here too.” 

This is when I thought and said, “What was I thinking I am a Road Racer.”  This gave everybody a much needed chuckle.  I was brought back to just the day before when I was complaining to myself about some weak ass frozen mud path.  I soon started to run down the hill I had just climbed. I was interesting to have trees come flying by and branches offering there help to stabilize me as I place one foot over one uneven surface after another.  This is when my next mistake was noticed.  I had my glasses on and they were fogged.  I was not going fast enough to keep them clear and the snow was just going to stick and keep them fogged.  Well, an added level of complexity and I was still going.  Down, down and further down.  The trees were a big help as I needed some stability at times and some thing to help with the brakes as I momentum rose. 

Then the crowd in front was stopping again.  We had come to a road but it was 6 feet down.  I grabbed a flexible tree trunk and rode it down to the road.  Aw, road my good friend where have you been.  I missed you so.  Then 15 feet later we left my Happy Place and back to the trail.  It was a little easier at this point so we were all running but it was not to last.  Lets face it this was a race designed by sadists for masochists.  Turn to the right and turn to the up.  Rocks, trees, orange flags and not much that could have been defines as more than deer tracks. 

My ankles were in total pain, my calves were tense and starting to cramp and the down hill had already hammered my quads but no matter the race went on.  And it was getting fun.  At this point I grabbed onto a fallen tree branch and it snapped off.  How fortunate because it was the perfect hiking stick.  I used it to help at some climbing points and when we hit another flat I kept it.  Then it came into sight.  I am in Reading, PA of all the things I was expecting to see a Pagoda was the last on that list.  Okay, Angelina Jolie was a tie as well but there it was the Reading Pagoda.  A freak’in pagoda in the middle of nowhere PA on top of a mountain overlooking the Lehigh Valley.  How awesome.  I ran under it and around and back out.  At this point I thought that carrying a 5.5 foot stick may be comber some so I pitched. 

No runners where harmed in the previous pitching but two cyclists, four deer, a volunteer and a Buick sought medical attention from the incident.

I crossed anther friendly road and back to the trails I went.  There was a day care to the left at one point.  It was Sunday and no kids were present.  A good thing I am sure that some of us were hungry enough to eat a small child at that point.  Any how, I saw a sign that said this is where the runners of last years course would see the unfamiliar.  It was all a surprise to me so keep the signs out of my sight.  I need to be looking down except for mile markers. 

Wait, where were the mile markers.  Oh this is trail race and mile markers are for road races.  How silly of me.  A much needed aid station with water came into view and I learned that running trails with water has got to be funny from a second or third person point of view.

I never realized what a fuss going over fallen trees was till this day.  The old question of “If a tree falls in a wood and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” was answered. 

The answer:  Who cares because now there is place to put a new trail race path. 

I swear the orange tags were weaving to hit every fallen tree in the area and not at a right angle.  You had to hit them at a turn and go for the next like slalom.  I love these guys for the separation of men and boys.  I was a boy going in.  I may become a crying girl by the end. 

And just as I was wondering where we might be in regards to the finish line I saw a mile marker.  Actually, it was the 4.25 miler marker.  I was getting closer to an aid station and I saw many cup and one was shoved into my had and I was told “It’s made from natural ingredients.”  I looked down at the beer in my hand and then grabbed a water from the next person. I tasted the water and it was okay.  I threw the rest to ground and proceeded to down the beer.  Yum.  My very first beer during a race or any run.   I then proceeded to run down hill over very uneven rocks and stumps.  It really helped that I had an empty stomach, was slightly dehydrated and my glasses were fogged up.  One of my smartest moves. I then realized that I saw other runners going on the other side of the aid station picking up beverages of choice.  That was the 4.25/5.75 mile aid station. That meant I had a least another mile to get back to the aid station.

Well, for the first time is little while we started to bunch up again.  There was a 4 foot diameter fallen tree in the way.  There was enough room to crawl under which some people were doing or you could climb over.  And I mean climb.  This is when I said out loud again, “I am a road racer”  More laughs then there ten steps later there was a rock wall maybe 3 feet high.  Over that and were actually running up hill again.  We hit another hill and this time hands hit ground as we scraped our way up.  A few breaths and we were running again.

Now to this point nothing bad had happened.  A few stumbles and ankles twisted with the terrain but no falling.  I was following close behind the person in front of me and I did not see him go over the rock in the path.  I did not exactly step over it as much as try to run my foot through it.  As my upper body momentum continued my lower body came to a dead stop.  As I reach out to brace the fall I caught the guy in front of me.  Needless to say he got and Ass full of hand.  His ass had saved me and I thanked him by complimenting him and confirming that he must work out.  After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence I told there was no reason for it to get weird.  But as affairs like these go it always gets weird and a couple of minutes later he started to pick up the pace.  Well, thanks anyway and yes it was good for me. 

Beer glorious beer.  Sure I really needed some water and i got some but then came the beer.  Oh how tasty and the way it sloshed around in my stomach made things extra special. 

We started heading up hill some more and that was when I realized I was running through this fantastic scenery and had seen none of it.  What a waste.  Well, the path 3 feet in front of me was beautiful in an abstract art kind of way.  You could tell the pain the artist was going through when he came up with it.  I hit the top of the hill actually running when I turned down the hill to see a sign something to the effect of “The path of fallen trees.”  They weren’t kidding.  It was mine field of fallen trees then the next sign said “And runners too.”  Bastards!!!  Shuffle, shuffle, step over, step over, find footing, for the love of god don’t step on a tree they are slippery.  Then more running down hill.  I don’t know if I had a single solid footing.  It was just step and find the next step quick before the last one fails. 

Then over or was it through and actual ditch and we were on road.  The road actually extended about 200 meters.  What joy.  I took off.  I can handle road with my eyes closed.  Then all of a sudden the runners I was about to pass swerved right in front of me.  The two doberman pinschers in the yard to the right were heading for us at full speed.  Then the turned away.  I love invisible fences.  We took off again and hit a dirt trail and then came my one and only twisted ankle.  I couldn’t believe it as I screamed in agony but kept the pace up.  I slowed down as I saw the start line across the pond and quickly realized it was not the finish line.

The course took us down a cliff of a grass hill, jumping off of a two foot rock wall across the road to another flat path.  I saw something in the distance and realized it was a bunch of cheertators at the top of a hill.  Not a hill but a 30 foot accent with in about 5 feet length.  But first I had to negotiate the ditch in front of me. 

As anybody should I attacked the accent and damn near bounced off of it.  Clawing hands and feet I got my self steady and went.  At the mid point I saw a better path to the right quickly crab walked there and proceed on up.  The words of encouragement were flying my way driving me forward.  I knew the finish had to be up here.  If it wasn’t… well there was that possibility. 

The top offered no actual path out to the open.  I had to crawl under some branches and some yelled that the finish was just down the row of cars.  It was as I turned to the finish my legs were jelly but I started running.  I saw Space and Rachael there and the clock that said 1:31 something.  I was stunned.  It could have been 3 hours for all I knew.

I hit the finish line and yelled, “A new PR.”  and it was.  I had never run a 7.25 mile race before and it was an instant PR.  There I was finished in 1:32:09 in a 12:33 pace.  I have run through blizzards, on sheets of ice, injured through the second half of marathon, a marathon the day after a half marathon, dehydrated, on big hills and the list goes on but I have never been tested like I was at the Ugly Mudder.  I said earlier that my ankles, calves, and quads were in pain but at this point nothing hurt.  Sure I was sore but I had just the most amazing experience and so much fun.  Sure I am a road racer but I now understand the trail bug.  I got it.  I cannot wait for next year or even the next trail race.

The finish was amazing as well, I got some powdered eggs and pancakes with liquefied sugar then we went into the restaurant/bar to listen to some blue grass band.  They played  a cover of Nirvana’s All Apologies.  It was amazing and a perfect tribute on the weekend of Kurt’s birthday.  Rest in peace Kurt, you life was awesome let you death be more so.  They wouldn’t play Free-birdbut nothing is perfect.  Then I looked up at stage left and there was fucking Bart Yasso.  Yes, you heard it, the Chief Running Officer of Runners World was there pimping his book.  The man who got me through Physical Therapy was chatting it up.  What an awesome day and I still had to drive back to Delaware and go swimming with the Rachael.

Amblin run, Frostbite 5 miler: Race Report

Well, after  the Disney Goofy I decided that I should start back to my speed work.  Well, for the most part this means upping the pace on my training runs but the best part is that it means I get back to the races.  Those shorter runs with lots of people that go out way to fast and push you faster than you should go.  I was looking around at Races2Run for some February races and found the Frostbite 5 miler up in Ambler, PA.

What could be better I love 5 mile races.  The Fairmout Park Turkey Trot, Bedford 5, and St. Malachi’s 5 have been some of my favorite races over the past couple of years.  The bonus was that it is just a few miles from Space’s parents and we could stop by afterwards and visit.  Also, I could get a quick shower as well.  They have bigger hot water tank and that is awesome.  Either way, it was a plan.

So there I was signing up for the race.  It is put on by the Ambler Area Running Club.  Nothing special to it.  Sign up, pay money etc.  I am done.  Then a confirmation e-mail comes.  To my surprise I am actually reading the confirmation e-mail and it announces that this year it will be Champion Chip timed.  I look down at shoes and see my bright yellow chip just staring up at me wagging its tail.  Wait that is my dog.  The chip was there waiting patiently on my shoe to be activated by an over-powerful, invisible, cancer causing radio frequency transmitter/receiver mat.  The curious part is there was no place for me to include my chip number on my registration.  Well, all that planning involved in getting my own chip so I do not have to worry about putting a temporary chip on and getting it off was for naught.  No matter, I just wonder what will happen when my own chip goes over the mats.  We’ll see. 

Race day comes up and all is ready just an hour long drive to get to the registration.  Nothing really special.  The Blue route is still a bear to drive and I am sure it is Philly’s version of Cleveland roads.  The real best part is that Ambler has no places to park.  It is that old town feel with a main street and a train station.  That was it, the train station.  It was saturday and nobody was commuting to Philadelphia for work.  So… here was the Frostbite 5 miler parking. 

Registration happens, a nice t-shirt, chip goes on right foot, number gets pinned, porta-john christened and we walk to the start line.  There is still traffic and the chip mat is in a parking lot not set up.  Ah, last minute start line.  I am milling about which means getting into the mood for racing and Rachael is playing hopscotch with out a hopscotch lay out.  I love that girls imagination.  Either way it is distracting me a little. 

Racing is like Method Acting.  You can’t just go out and race with out throwing yourself into it completely.  It must consume you from the moment you start till well after you finish.  You know the outcome and if you don’t play it out to the obvious conclusion then you are in danger of only getting critical acclaim or worse a golden globe.  Which in running translates to a lack luster race and the potential for a DNF or just a bad run that you wait too long to write a race report about.  So here I am getting into The Race and they start talking.  “Blah, blah, blah, and then someone will sing the national anthem”  The really funny part is right after those words the entire crowd walks away.  The start line is set up and it is 10 yards away from our singer.  We all mill toward it and then start listening to the veterans of the race.  I hear about the hills.  Awesome, a couple of challenges. 

The race starts and there is screaming to the runners to make sure they step on the mat. Funny stuff.  The real funny part is that I am surrounded by a bunch of people at about the right pace but they are surrounded by those that are slower.  Seem like a bunch of people with no idea of their pace got in front of me and my pace group.  Weaving happens.  Nothing real hard but a few tight squeezes but all is good through the main street of Ambler (Butler Pike).  Then I see the biggest Afro ever in a race.  I mean the amount of product this guy must use must be phenomenal.  Must have been a weave. 

Turn and the then the first hill.  Nothing special but a good reminder that I am not in Cleveland anymore.  I hit the first mile in 8:25.  A little slow but all is well.  I lost some time at the start and that would be expected.  The description of the course included a small paved path that had me worried.  It connected to roads and these things are rarely kept up.  This was no exception but it was only about 10 feet long and no big issue.  I made it through and we were in a new neighborhood.  The people were actually at their driveways cheering us on.  Cool.  Up another hill and then the 2 miler marker.  What, no split time?  Argh!  No matter things feel good and I just need to keep it up.

We come up to an intersection and people ahead are turning right.  No big deal you might say but it is.  We don’t turn on the road but the path that sort of parallels the road.  This is no side walk or short unkempt paved path it is a frozen mud path that goes on for about a mile.  What in the world is this mess.  Nobody said anything about trail running.  I entered a road race I am a road racer.  (remember this is it will come up again)

Well, through the fallen branches and the very uneven frozen mud the path comes to and end and there it is.  Space’s old high school, Wissahickon High School, on the right.  We go past and then we turn right and there is Space’s old middle school.  You guessed it, Wissahickon Middle School.  Okay so they are building that have absolutely no significance to me but they were there and so was a water table.  The the Wissahickon School District in their infinite short sightedness put speed bumps on the road bisecting the schools.  I had to slow down.  I could have sprained something if I didn’t.  Oh the valuable seconds lost.

It wasn’t long before the 4 mile point came and there was someone with a stopwatch yelling out splits.  Awesome.  I hit mile 4 at 32:20 something.  I was right where I needed to be.  I was ready to really push.

BTW, I lost count of the miles and thought the 3 mile marker was the 4 mile marker and already started to kick.  That stopped when I saw the actual 4 miler marker. 

So push I did, because it was the big hill I had heard about at the start.  Nothing killer but enough to make you breathe funny on the way up.  Oh well, I got past the hill and turned into the funniest moment of the whole day.  Some Jack-Ass was trapped by runners and had gotten out of his truck to yell at the volunteer cops about holding him up from the things he had to do.  I have yelled at cops before and only a few times has it come out to my advantage.  I am sure this guy did not get the upper hand.  Idiot he was.  Thanks volunteer cops for helping us out. 

A few more turns and down hill to the finish.  A sprint finish and done with a time of 40:20 in 311th place.  Not bad for my way back to speed.  By the way, the guy in 310th place was someone they refered to bandit.  I like to refer to him as “My Left Foot.”  Yeah, that’s right, my own chip got to the mat just before the race chip did.  I refuse to believe that I am better than… myself.