Another Race

Yesterday (Saturday), I ran in the Reebok Homecoming 5k in Canton, MA (home to not only Reebok, but also Dunkin' Donuts. Great town!). I did OK: 28 minutes, 37 seconds, placing 165 out of 258 runners. Better than the New Haven Road Race, anyway. Official results here.

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This was my first 5k in Massachusetts. It was nice, because it came close to Mom's birthday, and she likes to watch me run (I think it reminds her that I'm feeling well). So Isabel and the kids got to watch me, as usual, but so did Mom and Dad, plus my brother and his family. Quite the crowd for me.

The race began at Canton High School. They had predicted nasty rain for race time, but it held off, which was great. A little humid, but decent racing weather. It was a good-sized field of runners I like that 200-300 range. Not too many, so it isn't crowded, but enough so that there's always someone close by, giving you someone to try to pass. They herded us onto Washington Street for the 9:00am start, but then started about 3 minutes early. Not cool -- a bunch of folks heard the horn go off and had to run in from the parking lot where they were doing last-minute warm-ups. As we took off, I noticed that we were on a slight hill. Not good -- I figured we were starting in the middle of the hill, which meant the rest of the hill would be at the end of the race. But I didn't look behind me to check for sure.

I felt pretty good after the first mile, and my time was decent. I got into a nice groove during the second mile, and I checked my time and saw that I was pretty close to a Personal Record at that point. I resisted the adrenaline urge that came from that thought, remembering how I died at the New Haven race near the end.

This time, the last half mile was a hill. One continuous hill, that got steeper as we got closer to the finish. I think race directors who lay out courses this way are sick. Hills are unavoidable, and I don't have a problem with them, but planning a steep hill at the end is a sign of a sadist. The hill slowed me down, but it didn't wipe me out. I finished decently, a 9:14 per mile pace, but I have to believe I would have broken 9 minutes if it was flat at the end.

On the plus side: some of the best post-race food I've seen, and among the best t-shirts I've received (dark green and understated in design). Plus, I came in first in my division (old fat guys from Connecticut). Nice race. And nicer with all of my family there to see it.

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As I promised him: for my brother, who has switched seasons from long distance biking to hockey: a video of the Top 10 Penalty Box Momements. There's a reason they call it the "sin bin."

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I see Dr. R on Tuesday afternoon. Look for a report sometime Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.