Wow, results were up on Thanksgiving in the afternoon.
http://www.verticalrunner.com/2007homerun.txt
One of the things I love about this race is that 100% of the proceeds go to a great cause - Gennesaret, which is a soup kitchen/homeless shelter in Akron. Everything for the race is donated. No shirts, like I need another. Socks to the early registered, which are technical socks, and I always need more of those. Age group awards are first - turkey, second- pumpkin pie, and third-Smuckers jelly. I think the only costs are for police, and even that is low since 1/2 of the race is in the Glendale Cemetery.
I had no idea how I would feel running this race just 5 days after JFK 50. I felt good. Recovery seemed complete. I did recovery runs of 3-8-5 miles on Mon., Tue. and Wed respectively. The quick recovery may be due to the ice-cold shower I took just minutes after I finished the 50. That hurt, at the time it was amongst the most uncomfortable minutes of my life. I was filthy, I stank, and there was NO hot water. What was I to do? - Ice-cold shower!
The race started just a few minutes late. There were over 2000 runners, as announced by the RD. I think he included the one-mile runners in this count. As in previous years, Butch Reynolds was the official starter. I positioned myself in the middle of the road with about 2-3 hundred runners in front of me. The start is slightly down hill with a >90 degree left turn after 100 yards. I go slow, with the crowd through the turn. Most of the first mile is slightly down hill and I start weaving through runners after the turn. I make notice of all the little kids, joggers with full sweats, plodders wearing i-pods, etc, and since I see this at all the big races, it's not bothering me that these folks who are destined to finish in the last 20% have decided to start in the front 20%.
Just before the first mile mark, there is a slight up-hill and I charged past dozens of other runners. Since I am old, it takes a few minutes for my heart to catch up to my legs. This blessing almost always results in even splits through the first 1/2 of a race, and my last mile is typically my fastest. I get to pass runners the entire race! I'm thankful for that. Mile 1 is 6:15. I am surprised at my speed and that I feel as well as I do.
A little after mile one, we head into the cemetery. Just by the entrance I come up on some young men. High school or college aged - they are friends/teammates and they are running in a pack. "
We sense your fear" was emblazoned on the back of one runners shirt.
Ok, I'm not all that quick-witted, but I just felt a comment was needed here. I have this ability to speak clearly even though I'm running near top-end. A few steps behind the young-man, loud enough to be heard by all his friends I said, "That sounds schizophrenic -
WE sense your fear?" Then as I was next to him I looked him in the eye and said, "who ya got in there with ya buddy?" We all kind of chuckled a little, maybe me more than others. Admittedly, my sense of humor is a little strange.
Back in the race, most of mile two and three are in the Glendale Cemetery - and there is very little flat. I held my own on the up hills and kept passing other runners in the downs and flats. Mile 2 was also 6:15. Just prior to mile 3 mark is a big hill that is steep and then keeps going gradual up for a couple hundred yards. I was 6:19 at 3, and with some mental difficulty I figured I needed slightly under 6:10 to finish under 25 minutes. My expected time was between 25:30 and 26, that's what I told my son Spencer who was waiting for me at the finish. Over the last mile, I used other runners to increase my pace. I passed lots, and was targeting older men that might be in my age group. "Heck with the women and children!" Which is a funny punch-line from and old joke - but in this case I actually eased back the last 50 yards and let a woman and young man come in before me. In retrospect, It's a shame I didn't work a little bit harder. Just 9 seconds in front of me was my age group winner. Dag!
This is a photo of me with Butch Reynolds - from 3 years ago when I won
Smuckers Jelly! I got Strawberry.
No turkey for me just a pumpkin pie. Hey, it's better than jelly, or nothing at all. There's always next year.
Last night I ran from 7pm to about 4am with some friends through BR100 and Vertical Runner. A week ago Dr. Engles allowed me to start running with out the splint and wrap.
Now, the REAL good news. At my last appointment with the PT and Dr Engles, BOTH were astounded at my recovery progress. Dr Engles told me that my hand use is way advanced. He said, "you are better then the average patient at 12 weeks post surgery." The real cool thing is that I was just 8 weeks post surgery when he told me that!
