Milford, CT
Sunday, January 26, 2025
I'm relatively new to the USATF-CT circuit, as this only my third year, but every two years a new slate of races is chosen for the road grand prix, and there were several new entries this year:
Writing this over a month post-race makes it hard to remember details. Checked in at the school, got my bib, and went out for a 2-mile warm-up, plus a few strides.
31°F as the 365 of us crossed the starting line as the gun went off. I went through the first mile in 5:43. It was net downhill, but still too fast. Competitor Brett Stoeffler went by, and as he did, I told him I'm glad I'm not in his age group anymore (he's still in his 50s). He told me to come along and we could work together. Sounded good, but I didn't have it.
I struggled over the remaining four miles, never coming close to dipping under 6 minutes again. As a result, it was pretty frustrating watching so many runners pass me. About four miles in, I remember watching a guy in shorts over tights pass me. Ugh. This was not a fast course, with about 20 turns and many rolling hills, but I knew that beforehand and figured I would somewhere around 31 minutes.
Finishing in a chip time of 32:06 was much slower than I had planned.
Final result: Gun time 32:08, chip time 32:06. 49th overall of 365. 1st in age group. Full results here.
Went for a 2-mile cooldown, and then came back inside the school for awards. They had two different hot soups, chicken noodle and lentil. That was very much appreciated!
 |
| Nice mug for age group award |
