New Haven, CT
Sunday, March 2, 2025
My third time running PLR, and unfortunately by far my worst performance. A few ancillary factors, so let's dive into that.
Arrived with plenty of time to check in at Toad's Place and go for a warm-up. As usual, the environment inside Toad's Place was fun with a band playing classic rock. The check-in process was quick and efficient, and was the shirt pickup*. (*Tangentially related, the shirt this year was not good due to a huge iron-on decal of the logo at top of this post. These big iron-on decals have rubbed and irritated my skin in the past, so I promptly designated this shirt as a warm-up shirt to toss/donate at the start of upcoming NYC Half.)
The biggest issue this year was the weather. Looking across all three years I have run the race:
- 2023: 39°F, 5mph wind
- 2024: 49°, 8mph wind
- 2025: 20°, 13mph wind
Went out for my 2-mile on-course warm-up run in a windchill of 11°F. Brrr! Made the decision then that today would not be a singlet day. (Note Matt Sweeney did actually wear a singlet during the race, and no arm-sleeves. He must've been cold. Or tough.) Back to the car to strip down to a black long-sleeve, Striders singlet over the long-sleeve, and shorts, changed into race shoes, and then hid just inside the doorway of Toad's Place until race start minus five minutes. I had plenty of company hiding indoors!
Race time: It's hard for me to say much positive about my race itself (even writing this three weeks later!), so here's the short and dirty:
Lined up probably five rows back, and since we were packed in tight, I actually got a little respite from the wind. Chatted with a few fellow Striders, and that seemed to pass the time. The gun went off, and there was the usual craziness of so many runners passing me while I simultaneously passed so many others, but after the first two turns (just under 1/2 mile) runners thinned out a bit and I had plenty of room to run.
Once we got onto Whitney Avenue, where we would be running most of the race, the headwind was just nasty. My face and even my teeth were cold out there! Can't remember that sensation before. I did pass teammate Dave G, but didn't see others I recognized and didn't have anyone to try to pace off. Mile 1 split 6-flat. Ugh. My slowest split in the past two years I ran was a 5:47. I chalked it up to running into the headwind, and told myself subsequent splits would be faster.
I saw the front runners coming back towards me just as I turned off to start the short lollipop four quick turns before reversing course. That all went by very quickly. Back onto Whitney Ave headed southbound, I was ready for a fast tailwind that I didn't really feel. I felt the wind was sometimes gusting at us. Maybe some crosswinds or swirling? At any rate, Mile 2 split was a very ugly and disappointing 6:24.
But that third mile is going to be really quick, right? Nope. I was still pushing hard, and remember actually passing a few runners in the final stretch, but that third mile was a 6:07. The 6:07 final split was less disappointing to me than making the final turn to the finish and seeing the finishing clock flash "19:xx".
Final result: 19:21, 78th overall of 1,107, 2nd of 43 in age group. Average pace 6:15. Full results here.
After results the prior two years of 17:39 and 17:45, I didn't even break 19 or even come close. Just so disappointing. Certainly the cold and wind were factors, but that's a lot to explain due to the weather. Or is it due to me slowing down with age? Or both?
I was so cold at the finish that I ran back to the car, started the engine, and blasted the heat in an effort to warm up my cold toes and fingers before my intended cool-down and return to Toad's Place for food, classic rock, and awards. But rather than sit there idling the engine, I decided to just drive. I'm cold, disappointed to the point of embarrassment over my performance, and I don't need more awards "stuff". Back on I-95 North, I decided to stop and fuel at Madison Coffee Shop, and since I was warmed up enough in the car I finally went for a short cooldown along the shore in Madison. Finished with a coffee and bagel back at Madison Coffee House.
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