Sunday, January 11, 2015
Not having run much lately and with virtually no training, I had no expectations for this one. Chilly, but not cold, about 20 degrees at the start with no wind and plenty of sunshine.
Mile 1: After a short warm-up, we exchanged quick pleasantries and were ready for the start. The siren goes off, and the pace out is FAST. After 1/2 mile headed southward, you round a cone 180 degrees and head north on the beach. This is where Dave Principe went by me, and Seth pulled up alongside me. Ahead of Principe, I could see a group of runners including Muddy and Matthew, and I presumed ahead of them were Chris and Jonny.
Mile 2: On the second mile, I hear someone coming up on me on the trail about to pass me and I figured it was Seth. Jonny? Where was this guy hiding? Jonny passes by me and I know Seth is right behind. On Ocean Road, I can see Matthew just behind Muddy, but once we turn onto the Black Point trails I can't see them anymore. Just Jonny ahead of me and Principe ahead of him.
Mile 3: The trail section goes by really quickly, and towards the end of trails and getting close to the stone house, I see Matthew again. Jonny pulls up to him and passes him easily like he's at a crawl. Did Matthew just run out of steam? No, his gait seems off, like he's limping. I catch up to him and follow him through the stone house. Exiting the stone wall, onto the beach, I see he's in pain, so I break off to jog with him. As I do, Seth passes me. Matthew mentions his fall on ice, and I'm ready to jog him in, when he selflessly waves me off and tells me to get going. OK, my heart no longer really in it, but I head off in an effort to chase down Seth. I pass him barely, but as with last year, finish just a few seconds ahead of him. Final finish? 12th to 15th maybe? Did win my age group.
*** Viewer's discretion *** - Matthew has posted a pic of his leg on his blog (click to read/view). I don't know where he gets this notion of posting bloody legs on a blog :)
In the end, his leg is fine and he'll just have some good bruises for a while. I think he was more upset at not posting a great finish and that it'll likely be a while (due to his schedule) before he's able to run with the WTAC team again. For myself, I liked this run and had a good time, although I have to say not the thrill that I found at Old Mountain. I'm questionable for Belleville as it's the same day as Matthew's indoor meet (if it's on 2/7) and unlikely for Big River (if it's on 4/11) as it's one week before Boston, so I'll hopefully make it to Brrr-lingame to close out this fun series for me.
Not having run much lately and with virtually no training, I had no expectations for this one. Chilly, but not cold, about 20 degrees at the start with no wind and plenty of sunshine.
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| Beautiful sunny day at the beach! |
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| Today's WTAC uniform was gray shorts and green shirt. (We gave up on trying to make Chris presentable) |
Mile 1: After a short warm-up, we exchanged quick pleasantries and were ready for the start. The siren goes off, and the pace out is FAST. After 1/2 mile headed southward, you round a cone 180 degrees and head north on the beach. This is where Dave Principe went by me, and Seth pulled up alongside me. Ahead of Principe, I could see a group of runners including Muddy and Matthew, and I presumed ahead of them were Chris and Jonny.
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| Brightman near the front, Muddy two positions behind him in (green), Matthew chasing down (singlet) before his fall (All pics here from Jana) |
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| Principe in front of this pack (black), followed by me, then Jonny, then Seth |
Mile 2: On the second mile, I hear someone coming up on me on the trail about to pass me and I figured it was Seth. Jonny? Where was this guy hiding? Jonny passes by me and I know Seth is right behind. On Ocean Road, I can see Matthew just behind Muddy, but once we turn onto the Black Point trails I can't see them anymore. Just Jonny ahead of me and Principe ahead of him.
.JPG) |
| Streams to jump over made for an interesting diversion. |
Mile 3: The trail section goes by really quickly, and towards the end of trails and getting close to the stone house, I see Matthew again. Jonny pulls up to him and passes him easily like he's at a crawl. Did Matthew just run out of steam? No, his gait seems off, like he's limping. I catch up to him and follow him through the stone house. Exiting the stone wall, onto the beach, I see he's in pain, so I break off to jog with him. As I do, Seth passes me. Matthew mentions his fall on ice, and I'm ready to jog him in, when he selflessly waves me off and tells me to get going. OK, my heart no longer really in it, but I head off in an effort to chase down Seth. I pass him barely, but as with last year, finish just a few seconds ahead of him. Final finish? 12th to 15th maybe? Did win my age group.
*** Viewer's discretion *** - Matthew has posted a pic of his leg on his blog (click to read/view). I don't know where he gets this notion of posting bloody legs on a blog :)
In the end, his leg is fine and he'll just have some good bruises for a while. I think he was more upset at not posting a great finish and that it'll likely be a while (due to his schedule) before he's able to run with the WTAC team again. For myself, I liked this run and had a good time, although I have to say not the thrill that I found at Old Mountain. I'm questionable for Belleville as it's the same day as Matthew's indoor meet (if it's on 2/7) and unlikely for Big River (if it's on 4/11) as it's one week before Boston, so I'll hopefully make it to Brrr-lingame to close out this fun series for me.
Well done, Jeff. I don't think I realized I wasn't in the "proper" uniform until I saw that picture. Maybe next time I'll wear one of Jackman's custom jerseys instead.
ReplyDeleteI like the way Chris is thinking here.
ReplyDeleteNice job Jeff. Thanks for pulling me along! I don't think I would have done as well if you weren't ahead of me.
ReplyDeleteGood race Jeff!
ReplyDelete