On Monday, I completed the road race in my old hometown of Hingham, Mass. There were about 1,500 participants and it was a perfect morning for a run.
This was the first time I had ever done the race, and it's the second race I have ever done, the first being a 5K this past May.
I finished the 4.6 mile course in 44:36, with 9:42 splits. My splits were over 45 seconds faster than in the Westford race, so I was pretty happy with that. My wife and daugher met me at the finish line, and it was a great feeling to see them there, cheering me on. It turned out to be a great start to a wonderful and meaningful Independence Day.
In the race after-excitement, I registered for a 10-mile race in Harvard, Mass. It's October 1, so if you want to join me, there's plenty of time to register and train!
Now I need to replace my poor, ratty shoes with some serious foot technology. I'll hit the stores this weekend.
I also need to get serious with training for that mileage. There's a big difference between 10 miles and 4.6 miles, but I am eager to get to it. If I can do the race, and improve my mile splits, then there will be no doubt that I am in the best shape of my life.
<fade in Rocky Theme>
Drago! Drago!
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If warped values are the price of a vicarious thrill, so be it! - Calvin and Hobbes
Good Job! They have a race here in Little Rock on the 4th every year called the Firecracker 5K. It is all down hill so does not end at the start. My excuse that I didn't do it is that the down hill could be hard on my knee. The reality is that I haven't been doing much running training (been on the bike more, it's a better breeze in the summer) and that I forgot about it until last minute and blew it off. I should do it next year.
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Today's mighty oak was once just some nut who held his ground!
I'm doing a 5k this saturday in Sparta,MI called the Apple Run (lots of apples grown around here). I haven't done an organized run since I did a 10k back in June 2003 so I'm pretty excited.
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“Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, 'Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapeños.'"
Well I did it! Not a great time but right at my average. I did the 5k in 24:37. I've signed up for two more over the next three weeks. I'm curious to see how my times will change.
jim
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“Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, 'Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapeños.'"
Good job on the races! It's very addictive once you start doing them.
I wish we could get 1,500 people to run a race here. (Or maybe not?!??!) We only have two annual races in the Birmingham area that attract that many runners -- the Vulcan 10K in November, and the Mercedes Marathon in Feb. Most other races max out in the 200-300 range (or even less), which is pretty poor considering the metropolitan area has around 1,000,000 people.
Well, second one down! Awesome run this morning. Great course, perfect temp- shaved a whole two minutes off my last 5k from 24:37 to a 22:36. Granted, the first course was flat, this one had a decent downhill but did have a couple uphills that I figure evened it out.
Another one in two more weeks!
jim
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“Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, 'Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapeños.'"
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