As you might of guessed from the majority of posts here, I am usually a road racer. This is not for some hatred of trails – I live right next to Sesqui state park and run there all the time. It’s me. Laws of physics state that when nearly 200 lbs is put in motion, it tends to stay in motion, so all this intertia turns me into a stampeding elephant through the forest. I’d like to think I’m some lithe, agile athlete bounding through the trails with cat-like quickness. But yeah…I’m not.

But I do like variety, and I love the Make my Day race. Its got a cool course through Harbison, and its just long enough to be a challenge without being a real struggle for endurance. And its absolutely swag-tastic. I guess because they have big sponsors in Salomon, and Suunto, and put on by a business (Half Moon Outfitters), this is no mom-and-pop operation. The shirts are always really nice quality and this year there was a pair of smartwool socks to boot. With race prices at 25 and 35 dollars, you virtually come out even before you even step foot on the trails.

This year I’ve had some recent injuries and my endurance is shot anyway, so I figured it would be good to go with their new 5k – the 12k has been around for 4 years, but this was the first time adding the shorter option. Also, this was an unabashed trophy hunt. Go green events actually has a participant list by registration – a trophy hunters dream. As expected, all the beasts were doing the 12k and I hardly recognized most of the 5k field. Sign me up, baby.  I knew this would be the case because trail specialists always like to go long, and I suspect the 5k was added to increase the number of newbie runners. I love me some newbie competition. Bring on the same day race shirt wearers, sweatpants and ipod crew. Yes, I am shameless.

Of course, this week has been absolutely nuts. My 5 year old vector of disease gave me a wicked stomach bug on Wednesday, that luckily cleared in 24 hours. This happened in midst of 3 days of snow, sleet and freezing rain. After recovering from the pukes, I thought it would be good to go sledding for hours and run 5 miles on Thursday. Obliterated me.  Then I had trouble sleeping on Friday night after losing my earthquake virginity at about 10:30 pm. Scared the crap out of me.

So race prep was less than ideal. Oh, and I decided that D’s wings and raw fries would make an excellent Friday dinner. The next morning I woke up a little on the queasy side and I went back and forth about even coming to the race about ten times. I get to Harbison and its pretty rough – cold and windy. My legs feel like jello from all the sled-induced hill repeats. The trails look like hell. There’s still a nice snow coat in the forest, and between all the melting and last nights rain, its a total swampfest.  I make my way to Harbison’s lone bathroom and its a house of horrors – apparently there has been a water main break so all the toilets dont flush. That didnt stop people from using them though. Dear God.

They had a good crowd, most of them doing the 12k (perfect). Harbison trail beasts Brian and Jen Clyburn and Rob Yerger were on hand, representing the Harbison crew with their Hairy Bison shirts. Geary McAlister and Rick Gibbons are never ones to turn down a trail run, along with Travis Cowan, Harry Strick and Ramsey Makhuli. Team Utopia had a presence with Andrew Touzel, Stephanie Dukes , Kana Rahman and Lucia Velicu. I even brought out the singlet again. Finally got to meet FB friend Jenny Prather, who was doing the 12k. Megan Weis, Sherry/Alex/Tyler Robertson, Brady Ward, Amanda Charlton, Lois Leaburn, Teresa Harrington, Dina Mauldin, Heather Alexander, Pete O’Boyle, Hunter McGahee, Dave Hale, Nina Brook and the Naylor family were some familiar faces. Some of the Dutch Fork high team. Alejandro Arreola was representing Reckless in the 5k.  He’s based out of Charlotte but seems to travel all over.

I decided to start this race easy and see how I felt. There was a big mob scene with the start but I actually didnt get carried away with a sprint. It helped a lot of the crowd was doing the 12k. This was very evident at a quarter mile in where the races split off, and you went from the wide open trail road into the forest. There were only a few people ahead of me, and I was probably doing 7:30 pace.  I’m distinctly aware of someone riding on my back and I turn and see its Andrew. Dude is drafting in the wake of the albino sasquatch in his natural habitat. But there’s no one behind him. Well, I did trophy hunt this race..but I didnt know how well.  I had seen Hunter and Alejandro peel off the crowd first but I figured us to still be in the top 10.  We had been told that we would run out to the Eagle trail, do a loop, then repeat the loop before heading for the finish. When we reached the Eagle there was a guy there directing us.

The trail is pretty funny. Total swamp. I tried to avoid all the huge swaths of water, and when I did that I stepped off the trail into ankle deep snow and leaves. Ridiculously slow. Almost walking at times. I was tippy toeing like a sasquatch ballerina on all the declines, some of which were covered in slush. I was just waiting for a wipeout. Whats worse, Touzel flies by me at some point. Oh hell no. I give Andrew the “Sydney Frontz at Safe in the City” treatment and eventually he releases himself from the breathless gorilla chasing him through the jungle. Finally the trail gets a little cleaner so that helps the speed. I feel surprisingly fresh for a 5k, probably because I’ve just completed mile one in 8:15. I’m able to throw in some good speed bursts and I start making up ground on teenage kid and very tall half moon shirt guy – the 2 ahead of me. Every time I get some speed going though, I have to stop and trudge through some slop straight from the Dagobah system. I’m actually liking the hills because at least I can be a little more aggressive and not worry about footing as much. I keep thinking about how much this will suck the second time around. Or is there a second time? I haven’t seen any markers. Suddenly I come upon a deep stream, about 10 feet across. Definitely not jumpable, especially for distance runner white dudes. Two or three steps, almost knee deep in this stream. Jenny loved the stream too – see:

Instantly the shoes weigh a pound heavier and are numb from the sub arctic water. Awesome. Next time I wont be such a pansy ass road racer and just plow through the mud the whole time. Some guy on the trail gives us directions around mile 2 and I start recognizing the last part of every race at Harbison – a couple of nasty inclines leading to a flat tree-lined gravel road. I blast past teenager and half moon on the hill and start cruising towards the finish area, where I’m sure there must be another little loop or something. Nope. I make a turn and bam, there’s the clock. I finish almost right at 21 minutes, which I know is a joke, since I was doing what amounts to a brisk power walk through some of that slop. Yep – About 2.6 miles by Garmin.  I cant tell but it looks like I’ve finished 5th? Alejandro, Meg and Hunter are at the finish and they both confirm we’ve run a super short course. But where is Geary? He was definitely ahead of me. Teen, half moon and Andrew come in a little later and then there’s a long time of nobody. Ruh roh. Stephanie Dukes comes in and she says her course was short too, but where is everyone else? Turns out the 5k has turned into a complete cluster. 5kers continue to come in over the next 45 minutes or so, quite a few after some of the 12kers finish. Distances range from our 2.6 up to almost 7 miles. People are muddy and none too pleased. Some did the “creek fording” 3 times. Luckily the 12k apparently went off without a hitch, and I didn’t hear of any misdirects in the longer event.

Apparently there was some computer glitch in the timing and awards took forever. To their credit, the organizers gave away every bit of swag they had left in a raffle during the wait. They did, however, neglect to inform us that they weren’t doing 5k age groups, though they did do the 5k overall. I wouldnt care – but my childlike self wanted a make my day gun and of course I wanted the Tour de Columbia points. And I could have done without waiting around for an eternity for nothing. At least I did get to see the 12k awards. The results are still not up yet, so I really don’t know who won what. I do remember Dave Hale, Brian and Jen Clyburn, Rob Yerger, Anna Battiata, Missy Hunnicutt, Alfie Hipps, Nina Brook, Hope Whisman, Frank Eichstaedt and Rick Gibbons were age group winners.

The organizers did say they would give the 5kers entry into next years race, so I guess thats the best you could ask for, considering the circumstances. The proceeds go to benefit Friends of Harbison State Forest, so I wasnt going to ask for a refund. Apparently there was a rogue guy on the course giving directions that wasn’t associated with the race? Damn you, rogue guy. Hopefully they can post the 5k course online next time and patrol the route better. But definitely keep the swag factor.

UPDATE: Hey, we have some results.  http://go-greenevents.com/resultsdetail/id/1560. For some reason they changed the 5k results from order of finish to bib number. I have no idea why.  I actually finished 7th, 2nd in AG if I remember correctly from this morning.  Tim Gibbons won the 12k followed by Harbison trail regulars Kyle Buck and Robin Shook.  Strictly Running’s Anna Battiata actually won the overall women’s race with Dutch Fork’s Hope Whisman finishing 2nd. Luke Naylor took 2nd in the 12 and under, while Alex Robertson finished third in the 13-19. The Yerg took the 30-39 male, while Jen Clyburn and Alfie Hipps went 1-2 on the female side. Missy Hunnicutt and Heather Alexander finished 1st and 3rd in the 40-49, while Brian Clyburn took the mens win. Ken Sekley and Dave Hale finsihed 2-3 in the 50-59 while tri specialist Lisa Powell won the womens division by a landslide. Frank Eichstaedt won the “60-98” while Brigitte Smith finished 2nd among the women.

So its been a while since my last entry. Have I suddenly decided to show restraint and race less? Have I picked a goal race and decided to actually train for it like a normal person? Have I decided to give up running and devote my life to good beer and Korean food?

Nope. Well, maybe a little of the last one.

On January 9th, I had one of those really nice, blissful easy runs. About 6 miles in the mid-afternoon on a nice clear day. I was thinking, “I’m going to be OK, I’m right on track towards getting back to sub 19 shape. Everything is good!”

Until I got home and decided to throw an armload of laundry in the hamper.

Ow.

My left achilles area had just a twinge of pain. Ah, its nothing, just a little tweak, right? Nope. Hurt like hell the next morning. Tried to run again 4 days later and felt good, only to hurt again the next day. Took the next 10 days off, did 2 miles on MLK day and still didnt like the way it was feeling. I finally got back to running consistently the last few days of January, and I still had done no more than 5 miles in a day leading up to this race.

In the meantime I had been hitting the gym like a beast, pouring all that energy into the weights and the boring as hell stationary bike. I was so mad, having come so far in the cliff recovery only to get derailed again. I was a wreck the last week, picking up a nasty cold and sleeping like crap, sniffling and stressing about making sure the CRC banquet would go off OK.

So, needless to say, I was less than hopeful about this race. I figured I’d go out easy and see how I felt.

The Race for the Place is a nicely done event in Shandon, held in February, starting and ending at St. Joseph’s church in Shandon. Like most Shandon routes, this course is pretty flat. Just a rectangle orbiting around Hand middle and back. They adjusted and recertified the finish this year, making it a nice straightaway instead of a few tight turns.

This race has historically been ridiculously fast. Not a big race, but heavy on the beast content. I ran 19:00 last year and finished like fifth in age group. I remember Derek Gomez barely got third with an 18:36. Nuts. So I figured zero chance of getting an AG award in 2014. It’s a shame, because I love the hand painted ceramic coasters they give out. I have one for a 3rd place that I think I got in the first year.

I showed up 45 minutes early and did race day registration. I still got a shirt, which was nice. I’m not there more than five minutes and its already crawling with some pretty blazing fast people. Most of the SR entourage is on hand, with Kenzie, Shannon, Erin, Jennifer, Steven, Dimery, Brandenburg and Jordan. There’s also two singlet dudes that look they could run a sub 20 hopping on one foot.   Brian Talkington showed up to take pics. Heath brought Brady and Brooke to try and dominate the kids division. Wayne Shuler was volunteering, so I was able to get him the CRC jacket he earned from last years Tour de Columbia. Travis Moran, Andrew Touzel, Chris Fawver, and Tracy Meyers were there to represent TUS. I was too afraid of wearing the TUS singlet for what could be a disaster of a race for me. Tigs and Eric showed up for Reckless Running.  Because its a race in Columbia, Pete Poore, Alex Ponamarev and John Gasque were there. Gasque was doing the double dip with Cupid’s Chase at 10 am. I think he was the only one. Parker and Joe Roof, Sharon Sherbourne,  Michele Parnell, Travis Cowan + stroller, Shufy Rowe and Matt Buffum were some familiar faces. Missy Caughman was RD this year I believe.

I stroll up to the line for the start…. Ok… lets just ease into this. But of course I toe the line because I am both a) ridiculously grandiose and  b) an unabashed attention whore. The starter shouts go and “ease into this” goes out the freaking window. I start blasting away like it s a 400 meter interval. After the first quarter I try and rein it in a bit. Then I see Tigs and J-Lybrand pushing ahead of me, and my melon head of an ego cant take it. MUST. NOT. GET. CHICKED. Of course this is a forgone conclusion, because I can barely see Kenzie, Erin and Shannon absolutely kicking my ass already. And there’s an audience. The CR multisport/Run Hard preview runners are running down Heyward St. the other way, so I can’t let myself be shamed in front of half the Columbia running community. So I push ahead, as if the wreckage of the past 7 months never happened. My one suspicion I’m taking it too fast is that I’m not too far behind Brandenburg , Shannon and Steven Johnson at the first marker. Tigs and Jen are right with me. Mile one in 6:19. Oh jeez. This is going to suck.

And it does. I do manage to pass Lybrand and Tigs, but I can still hear Tigs riding my butt. I could hear her better, except for all the gasping and sucking going on. The legs feel good, its those damn lungs. That’s what a month of maybe 20 nine-minute miles will do for your speed and endurance. I reach a low point at the turn around. The hurt has settled in and I still have another mile and a half to go. Plus, I’m running completely solo – the next guy is maybe 50 meters ahead and I can’t hear anyone behind me. I hit mile 2 in 6:45. Holy slowdown, Batman.

I try and muster something of a kick but the whole needing oxygen thing is getting in the way. I’m feeling like death, but at least the toe, achilles and knee are cooperating. It’s nice not to have to think about my legs giving out, though I could do without the lungs trying to free themselves from my chest. But I’m deathly afraid of getting Tigsed or Lybranded – so spelunking into the pain cave I go . There’s no one around to help motivate me. I can only make out one guy ahead and he’s not catchable. Finally I hit the last straight on Blossom St and I’m begging for the end, miscalculating not one but two stoplights as the finish block. I’m going to have a map of Shandon burned into my skull because of this. When I do make out the clock I’m glad to see it still in the 19’s, though it quickly flips over to 20. I pull a little headless chicken to make sure I break 20:30 and cross in 20:24.  19th overall and, surprise..3rd in age group! I get my precious ceramic tile after all. I’m actually pretty happy with the result. I was wondering if I might have backslid beyond 21 minutes with all the down time, lack of sleep and sickness. This was actually faster than my last 5k before the achilles injury so I’ll take it. It should be noted my last race before my first sub 20 was the first year of RFP back in 2010. My time that year: 20:24. Hope I can break through again!

As I mentioned, this race is always stacked. A little less so for the 35-39ers, but overall there were some seriously impressive performances. I can only imagine the battle for the win was amazing, as Martin Maloney edged Jonathan Kinsey 15:54 to 15:56. I wouldn’t know since these guys exited my view after the first turn. On the women’s side Kimberly Ruck crushed a 17:37 for the win. She’s from Columbia but I’ve never seen her race before. Kenzie smoked an 18:27 for 2nd and Erin Miller rocked a PR 18:44 for third. Pretty blazing fast. Masters winners were no surprise with Shannon nearly PR’ing in 19:34 and Eric Allers killing it with another sub 18.  Age groupers included Jordan Lybrand pulling out a 17:39 for first in the 25-29. He was running with me 6 months ago, but I guess marathon training has turned him into an absolute beast. Travis Moran wasnt too far behind for second with an 18:03, another guy that was in the Blue Shoe area code early last year. In the 2-14 Parker Roof broke 20 and won the boys side, with Brady Ward in second. Sister Brooke one upped him by taking first on the girls side. Jennifer Lybrand broke 21 again en route to a first in the 25-29 and nearly PR’d again in 20:50. The 30-34 was led by Jason Dimery in 18:13, with Andrew Touzel taking second in a huge minute plus PR (22:29). Phil Midden and Steven Johnson went 1-2 in my age group, while Michele Parnell won first on the women’s side in 23:36. The 45-49 was one of the most competitive with Jeff Brandenburg winning in 19:07 and Matt Buffum finishing 2nd. Wife Barbara took 2nd among the women. In the 50-54, Gasque took 3rd in the first leg of his double dip. Tigs easily won her age group by 4 minutes. Shufy Rowe and Wes Spratt won the 55-59, while Pete Poore and Alex Ponamarev took the 60-64. Sharon Sherbourne won the female 60-64 by a whopping 9 minutes.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/443023726

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/14RACE4PLACE.TXT

The WACH Resolution run  is a first time 5k that starts and ends at Maxcy Gregg Park , with the course mainly a loop in Shandon. It’s the same route used for the William Wilson memorial 5k in 2011-12 and the Colorectal Cancer 5k last year. Not a bad course – basically features the long, gradual Blossom St hill from Get to the Green  (not the Gov Cup – thats the other way) in the first mile, with the rest flat to downhill. It was the second race (Colorectal) in my triple dip in 2013, on my way to an epic victory over the Trophy in the third race. That seems like a long time and several bone fractures ago. The victory is still sweet though, Lady McGaha.

So I always view 1st time races with a little skepticism. Especially ones that are “corporate” and are done by people with no idea about running. I was worried both of these caveats would be true in this race, which wasnt helped by “Running on Empty” playing when I arrived and various other running related songs following on the loudspeaker. Kind of a yay-lets-get-on-our-sweats-and-jog  feeling. These guys had never gotten back to our tour director about being on the TDC, so there wasn’t the usual CRC contingent. I was going to not race in protest, but our tour race this weekend was the Harbison 50k, and there was no way I was going to give the gimp leg a 31.1 mile beatdown in the forest. There was also the option of not racing at all, but that was inconceivable to the melon head.

I showed up and it was cold. Damn cold. Like low 20’s. I had to christen one of their portapotties as soon as I got there and about had frostbitten unmentionables. Not fun. They had a decent crowd there with a few familiar faces.  Brian Talkington, Michele Parnell, Jennifer and Jordan Lybrand, Erin Miller, Ashley Horton, Andrew Touzel, Angel Manuel, Eric McMichael were all on board. Diesel was hiding behind Brady. Dimery showed up last second to crush the hopes of trophy hunters . I had no goals for the race. Just see how it goes. The toe felt terrible in the cold – complete block of ice.

With the start the crowd thinned instantly with the limited competition. Dimery left us all for dead and I saw a mini pack form of Talkington, Erin Miller and Jordan. Jennifer and Angel were a few steps ahead of me, though Angel assured me he was going to hold back big time in this race. Some kid in a green shirt was killing it and ran with me most of the first half mile. We hit the hill about a half mile in and it really sucked. Breathing like a champ is what I do best, but the 25 degree air was blasting my lungs. Toe still block like. I kept up with Jen as I’ve typically seen her throw down about a 6:15-6:20 first mile. I caught her right at the mile mark so I figured I was in good shape – I was wearing long sleeves so I couldn’t access the Garmin easily, so I just continued to go by feel.  I saw Coleen, then Usa and Anita running up ahead as part of the Starbucks Saturday group. The last two were really getting it because I was slow to pass them even in 5k race mode. I kept up with Jen and paced off her for about another half mile before finally making a move, somewhere near that squiggle of an intersection between Wheat and Shandon St (which is the part of like 10 races in Shandon). Along a flat stretch on Wheat I hit mile 2, and I figured something was up. True, I could see Angel just ahead, though Brian and Erin were in another zip code and I had long lost sight of Dimery and Jordan. The main thing was that I felt too good, which is just wrong for a 5k., Its supposed to be pure torture. The toe had finally warmed up some and was moving better, so I started ramping up the pace big time. I started to make up some ground on Angel, though the downhill at 2.5 miles had him pull away a little. I just suck on the declines. I hit the flat homestretch on Blossom toward the finish and it felt like I was flying. I was making significant headway on Angel but I could tell I was running out of real estate….and WTF??? Its already over 20 minutes? I made out the clock at like 20:10 and was so pissed. Kind of phoned in the finish to 20:36 – standing up, not sucking wind. It’s just shameful for me not to headless chicken it.  Good enough for 6th overall and 2nd in AG though. I was confused until I pulled up my Garmin data when I went home. I ran the first 2 miles at 6:46 pace, which is just a touch faster than my pre-cliff half marathon PR. Turns out if you cruise through 2/3 of the race you are not going to be able to make that up. Jen apparently decided to run even splits, so I was completely thrown off. Damn her for showing some restraint! I did do a 6:20 in the final mile, which is better but still not where I want to be.  Gotta warm up that toe more on the cold days!

Dimery crushed the win with a 17:40, which is like a walk in the park for him. Jordan ran like a complete beast and took 2nd in 18:04. Dude’s marathon training is definitely paying off. Erin ruthlessly chicked Talkington in the home stretch to take first female and 3rd overall in 19:36. Brian settled for 3rd male and 19:41, which helped bump me up in the age group with him taking an overall placement. Angel ran at like his marathon pace and finished in 20:29, still shaming me and taking 1st in AG. Jennifer had a very strong race and broke 21 again with a 20:59 for 2nd female. Eric finished 8th and took 3rd in our brutal 35-39.

Green shirt kid was 10 year old Garrison Budic, who crushed a 23:11. Pretty impressive. I wont tell little Alex a kid his age beat his 5k time by almost 20 minutes, Not a good confidence booster. Speaking of elementary schoolers, Brady Ward ran a  25:46 and second behind Garrison. Andrew Touzel took 1st in the 30-34. Ashley is coming back strong after her injury and won 1st in the 25-29 in 25:13. Michele Parnell took the women’s 35-39 by over 2 minutes, while Harry Strick won the 55-59.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/14RESOLUTIONRUN.TXT

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/424509953

So some part of me wanted to relax and savor my first post-cliff sub-20 for a while, but I don’t miss Cold Winters Day. Although my first 3 5ks in my life were in Charleston in 2007, I ended up overdoing the training thing (Hard to believe, I know), got shin splints, and didnt race for more than a year in 2008. I finally decided to get back into running late in 2008 after I had moved back to Columbia . I got fitted for some stability shoes at Strictly Running and signed up for their Cold Winter’s Day race, which would be my first in my hometown. It was billed as “flat and fast” and I threw myself into training, starting with an angry run after a loss in the Carolina-Clemson game. Yes, its hard to believe we actually used to lose to Clemson. 

In keeping with my overwhelming grandiosity, I thought I would go out and try to break 23 minutes in this “flat” race, since I had gotten down to high 24’s over a year earlier. Yeah..that sounds logical. This was before I had heard of Garmins, but I knew there was a yellow arrow sign right before the downhill to the finish. I went all out in that race and when I saw the yellow arrow sign in the distance I redlined it with an epic  pre-blue shoes kick…right to about the 2.5 mile mark. Turns out it was the wrong sign and it left me over a half mile to go, during which I almost had to walk. I think I basically collapsed in a heap at the finish but I did PR in 23:59.

Note Steve Rudnicki, Ted Hewitt, John Richards and Lynn Grimes. Little did they know the Blue shoe kick was being born. That and the hideous race face.

So this is the race I use as a benchmark for the year. In 2009 I donned the same “magical” blue under armour shirt and tried to break 20 for the first time. Yeah…not so much:

Back off ladies…I know you cant resist yourselves.

I had steady improvement over the last couple years. Ran a 19:20 something in 2010 when it was 34 degrees and sleet/snowing,

I didnt choose the thug life, the thug life chose me.

and 19 teens in 2011 when it was almost 70 degrees. Last year was one of my best races of all time, blasting out a sub 6 last mile and ruining Kenzie’s winning pic in the classic “beauty and the beast” photo:

I usually get the official finish pic from Strictly in this race, but it turns out the female overall winner takes priority over some lumbering sasquatch. Luckily Angel was on hand to capture the  moment.

Which brings us to the 2013 edition. I was decidedly less than motivated to crush it out in this race, given Bayler’s 4 days prior, but once I pin on a bib I find it physically impossible not to try really, really hard. Especially in this race.  So I was going to give the sub 20 another shot.  Perhaps more important to my fragile ego was trying to return the favor for the ruthless beatings I’ve received from Trophy, Sydney and Ken Vowles in the past few months. All three showed up, though Syd didn’t make an appearance until the last second. Thankfully Justin showed up, since I had noticed right before the race that my serial racing had led to me overtaking his 2nd place in the Tour de Columbia overall standings. Since he could  literally finish this race and then go order lunch at Zoe’s kitchen before I crossed the line, that would just be wrong.

Tons of familiar faces were at the start, really too many to name. Geary and some of the Strictly running elite women (MC, Shannon and Linn) were there to at least give me an idea where 19 something should be. I lined up a couple of rows back with Trophy, Ken and Kenneth. Teams Howell, Roof, Naylor, Diesel, Lowden and McGrievy are on board. Mitch Prosser, Brian Talkington, Jeffrey Godby, Jen Lybrand, Hunter McGahee, Naomi Rabon, Eric McMichael, Rob Weber, George Smith, Meme Spurgeon, Jason Dimery, Arnold Floyd, Randy Hrechko, Rocky, Henry, John Gasque , Michele Parnell, Andrew Touzel, Jeff Smith, Lucia Velicu, Omar Sharif, Jennifer Hill, Ashley Horton and sister Lauren, Laurie Royson, Mike Compton , Crystal Cordoba, Lois Leaburn, Teresa Harrington and Hou Yin Chang were some of the frequent racers who have appeared in the blog this year. Trophy has recently identified David Pappas as yet another fast 35-39er who would be in the mix.

The start is straight up a hill. Have I mentioned how much I hate hills at the start? Allow me to note it here. Its really not too bad – nothing like the MLK start, but you will run this too fast because – 1) 5k starts are always, always way too fast and 2) there are so many fast people at this race that its tough not to get caught up in it. I hold back as much as I can and try to dodge the inevitable kid who toes the line and runs 100 meters before stopping. After the trenholm road hill start is a long plunge into a valley. I try my best not to get passed since I suck at downhills and gimp knee and toe prefer not to accelerate in a downward direction. Syd and Jen Lybrand are kicking my ass already and Geary/SR ladies are even further ahead. After the valley is another nasty incline but I feel OK, and start mentally patting myself on the back for running a smart race, and this training is really paying off and….WTF? Is that the clock???  20 minutes is 6:27 pace and its already passed when I see the clock, which is a long way before I actually reach the clock, and its about 6:43 on my Garmin. Nice pacing, smart guy. Turns out you feel better when you go too slow. Go figure.

In my mind I’ve already blown my chance at sub 20, so I try and focus on keeping the pale beasts (Vowles and McGaha) behind me and catching up with Syd. Turns out Syd is having a less than stellar race and lets me know with various breathless expletives when I pass her at the next bridge. OK, surely I’ve picked up the pace back into sub 20 range now. Unfortunately the red singlets and Geary’s industrial machine  is still looking very far away. Mile 2 has a lot of flat and downhill save for one soul crushing long hill in the middle. I try to push it up the hill a bit and manage to pass some people. I reach the top and I feel OK – sucking some wind for sure but not wanting to die. I feel good until I see the clock for mile 2 and its like 13:17 or something. The math is a little hazy in my oxygen deprived brain but my general feeling is that this is not good. Garmin confirms it with a 6:33 split. DAMN IT.

I thought I was earning back time towards the sub 20 goal the whole time and I was actually LOSING more seconds. I figure I’ve completely blown my chances of a 19:59 by now, but the specter of getting Vowlesed or Trophied still hangs over my head. I catch up with Pappas who announces my arrival with a “Blue Shoes!” I know I’m in trouble because I can barely say anything in return. You know, the whole needing oxygen to speak thing. Regardless of starting to die, I know I need to blast it out lest Vowles tries to kick it in like he did at Turkey Day. Pappas is not going to let me go that easily and he surges right with me. I finally get a few steps on him as we take a right turn towards the finish (aka the faux finish yellow arrow sign from 2008). The last half mile plays well to my strengths with a couple of nasty inclines before the freefall to the finish. Though my sense of pace apparently sucks now, I can tell I may be picking it up some since I am gasping and flailing like a dying elephant. But damn it, I am not getting passed. I see Jeffrey Godby, who I mistakenly think is in my age group (actually 40) and really push it to catch him. I try to offer some encouragement (he’s had a rough year with the death of his friend Jake at Savannah) but all that breathing is getting in the way. I actually see Geary and the SR girls make the last turn, so at least I’ve made up some ground. Tigs is at the last turn and starts screaming at me, and in  my delirium I just know Vowles is getting ready to track me down. I go into full on headless chicken mode and then I see the clock still in the 19’s. But I can also see that its just not going to happen. I watch the numbers click over to 20 and finish in 20:09. Chip time was 20:07, 32nd overall, 6th in AG.

So definitely disappointed in not getting my goal, but happy to even be close to 20 after those first 2 miles. So much for trying to be comfortable in a 5k – those 2 things just don’t go together. Especially for  me. This guy gives it a thumbs up though.

In the overall, Omar crushed a 15:59 en route to the win, followed by Justin in 16:40 and Avery Dominick in 17:06. Jason Dimery and Hunter Mcgahee both broke 18 and finished in the top 10.

In the women’s overall, Dutch Fork high’s Anna Johnson won in an impressive 18:28 followed by Heather Costello and Lauren Jaynes.

Age groupers included Brady Ward taking second in the 2-10, finishing with Diesel and Jennifer. Interestingly, Jen beat them both by chip time. 22 seconds Jen? Were you in the portapotty when the gun went off? The O’Toole girls finished 1st and 3rd in the 11-13, while Luke Naylor took home a trophy on the boys side. Hunter Jarvis finished 3rd in a tough 14-16. Wells Thomas, who won Baylers, finished 3rd in AG here. Syd ran 21:08, which I think was still her 2nd best, and took home 1st in the 20-24. Jen Lybrand was just one second behind Syd and won 2nd in 25-29. Mark Tibshrany finished 3rd in the brutal 30-34 (behind Justin and Dimery). Brian Talkington PR’d in 19:19 , good enogh for third in the 35-39.  Heather Costello, Heather Hunt and MC Cox completed a female 35-39 which was almost as fast as the guys division. Jeffrey Godby won 2nd in the 40-44. Shannon Iriel broke 20 with a 19:51 and won the 40-44 over Meme Spurgeon in 23:24. Randy Hrechko also got his sub 20 and finished 2nd in the 45-49. Sue Porter won third in the female division. The 55-59 was a trio of beasts with Geary McAlister, Pete O’Boyle and Larry Bates. Lynn Grimes and Patti Lowden went 1-2 in the 60-64 women, whil Mike Compton and Alex Ponamarev did the same among the men. Peter Mugglestone won 3rd in the 65-69, while the usual trio of Arnold Floyd, Rocky and Henry swept the 70-79.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/13cwd.txt

Oh, and lest it go unnoticed, this has to be published. Even I bow to the awesomeness of Ken’s race face.

The Harborside 5k is a nighttime race held in Lake Carolina that features a course through the Christmas lights of the neighborhood. This is apparently its 10^th year, though I’ve only been aware of it for the last two. It’s a part of the YMCA of Columbia series organized by Erin Roof so I knew it would be well organized, in addition to possibly adding to my YMCA pint glass collection.  The race is associated with the Harborside Christmas festival. I waited around last year to see if the Santa line thinned out, but it never did. I was so hoping for a pic with a sweaty pale sasquatch in racing shorts crushing poor St. Nick’s lap. Oh well.

One thing nice about the dark and all the Christmas lights and cheer is that it distracts you from how brutal this course is. Just thinking of last year’s race started me breathing heavily, since I about exploded my lungs in 2012. I remember trying to chase down the Yerger and Brandenburg, almost getting chicked by Claudia Cannon, who is literally like half my size. I ran the last quarter like a maniac and just missed catching JB and narrowly avoided getting beat by a middle school girl. Nice.

The course kind of sets you up to fail if you’re unfamiliar with it. You get all worked up crushing a largely flat then long downhill in the first mile, only to turn around and hike back up that hill, bringing you close to the finish line. You then head back out by plunging down another steep downhill and then climb for what seems like forever. You turn into another subdivision but the pain keeps coming. Finally you loop back around and fly down the mountain you just climbed, only to face that same steep quad blasting hill before the turn to the finish. Flat and fast, right?

Night races are fun, but this one has the added challenge of being out in Lake Carolina, near rush hour, in the middle of the holiday shopping season. Read: you’d better leave early. With my native northeast Cola knowledge though, I was able to back road it and get there pretty quickly. Find Bookman road. That’s all I’m saying.

I got there about an hour early and luckily found some parking, which is always dicey in the LC. Not a whole lot of familiar faces, but a few of the CRC regulars were there. John Gasque was on hand to bring his race total over 50 for the year. Meme Spurgeon and Brian Talkington have both caught a bad case of race addiction and were there to trophy hunt. I did a mile or so with Meme to show her the monster hill in mile 2, lest she go all out like I did last year. Tenacious J and Jeff were there with daughter Sophie and Ted Hewitt made an appearance after being MIA for a while. Eric and Angel showed up but the traffic held them up too late to register.

Mile 1: Between the crowd and the flat around town square I managed to throw out my planned restraint in about 30 seconds. I paced with Eric for awhile and we both went way too fast down the ensuing long downhill into the Harborside subdivision. I think there were pretty lights around, but my maniacal competitiveness was focused on not letting McMichael kick my ass. I finally separated from him at the bottom and caught up with two guys in red shirts, one tall (taller than me even, though less Sasquatchesque)  and one short. I swear both are wearing the race t-shirt, which among the middle school like clique of frequent road racers, makes you a total noob. These guys were hardly out for a jog though, because we hit the mile mark in 6:15.

Mile 2: Pure misery. Long climb out of the Harborside subdivivion – the same mountainside you just flew down way too fast. Had to dodge a couple of people who were parking for the festival and seemed surprised to see a bunch of people out for a very brisk jog in the dark. Not too brisk though, because it felt like we were barely moving. Our little mini pack finally reaches Lake Carolina Drive, which is right near the finish and the top of the Harborside hill. We make a sharp turn and go careening down a steep hill that I know we will have to climb back up right at the finish. After bottoming out over a bridge, there’s a solid half mile of climb. If I thought Mt Harborside was bad, this was much worse. I try to remember my trophy hunt overall win  for 2013 took place on this course and this hill, but that was in January and obviously pre Kauai. Short guy starts dying and falls back, but the two biggest dudes in the field are now running in tandem. Mile 2 in like 7:05, almost all of it uphill.

Mile 3: Finally we make the turn in another subdivision and crest the hill and start flying back down. Flying is probably an overstatement because it takes a few hundred meters before I can start breathing again from my mountain trek. My beastly twin and I actually exchange a few words because we are running like a few inches apart. Just before the turn back onto Lake Carolina drive I switch into kick mode, or whatever you’d call it in this Gimp era. I’m trying to crush it down the hill, but its hard not to be tentative with my Hawaiian knee and toe. Rapid downhill acceleration brings back some bad, bad memories. I start to hear footsteps and I know tall guy must be tracking down. as he draws by my side I turn towards him and its freaking Ted Hewitt. WTF?? Ted is a fast dude but usually clocks about 22 minutes in a 5k. I figured maybe I slowed down hardcore on that hill, since I didnt check my Garmin at the 2 mile mark. And then he passes me. My oxygen starved brain is begging me to let him go and have his glory, because im about toast. But the dark passenger inside was not having it. Somewhere , somehow, I took a few more steps in the pain cave and totally redlined it up the finishing hill. I caught Ted but he was getting it too. I cranked my heart rate to about 300 and was pushing so hard up the hill it was more like leaping than running. Finally it flattened out and I saw a 20:15 just as I turned the corner and sprinted it out in total headless chicken mode. Finished in 20:28, just 5 seconds ahead of Ted, who PR’d by like a minute. Pretty happy with the time – this is a brutal course and I did a 19:36 last year, so I think this is the first time in the comeback that I’ve been within a minute of my 2012 times. The course was 3.09 by my garmin this year, having been altered slightly, so maybe not completely legit, but I’ll take it. Fun to see Ted crush it like that and help me blue shoe it at the end.

Results from the CRC newsletter:

Among a lead pack of three, Velocity Distance Project’s James Palmer kicked it in to take the win in 17:38, with Matthew Egbert and Justin Jones also going sub 18 for 2^nd and 3^rd. The women’s race was won by ultra-specialist Pam Rodriguez, who went on to run and win age group glory in the Columbia Half Marathon and Rudolph’s Rampage half. Jenna Dent and Kathryn Ryan completed the overall female winners.

Erin’s son Parker Roof continues to get faster, cruising to a 19:52 for fourth now that cross country is over. Brian Talkington is a new race addict and finished 5^th despite cramping late in the race. Ted Hewitt had an incredible race, crushing his old PR by about a minute and very nearly blue shoed the Blue Shoes. He passed me about a quarter mile from the finish but between the final hill and my best ugly race face finish, I was just able to edge him out. Ted won his age group as well in a smokin’ 20:33.

In the age groups, Jennifer Hill and Jeff Curran paced daughter Sophie Curran to a big PR and 2^nd in age group. Congrats Sophie!  Meme Spurgeon  has been unstoppable this year and PR’s once again in 23:14, winning the 40-44 age group. John Gasque easily took the 50-54 in 25:29, while Henry Holt passed 450 TDC points with another age group win in 28:33

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/417532758

Billy with the thumbs up…and Shannon typing?

The Jingle Bell 5k is in its sixth year and is put on by a small local gym called the Fitness Zone out in Lugoff, SC. I’ve done this race every year since 2009, so I guess I’ve done it every year except its first. It started out for me as a trophy hunt and a rumor that it had a flat course, but since that time I’ve come back just because I love  small-town races. However, between us putting this race on the Tour de Columbia and Strictly putting it on their Palmetto Grand Prix, its become one of the fastest small races in the state.

There were actually 4 other races on this weekend, so had I been the sub 19, pre-Kauai Blue Shoes I might have been tempted to go looking for an overall win. My bet was on the under-the-radar Spring Valley “Vikings for Educaion” race, but the Friends of Sesqui trail race also beckoned for a trophy hunt. Sadly though, my current McGimp fitness requires a minor miracle for a top 3 finish, so I just settled on the race I knew I liked. The two other races were the Jingle All the Way5k and Warm a Heart Patty Packs 5k/10k.  JATW was at 9:45, allowing for a potential double, but I just wasnt up to driving a half hour just to face that Turkey Day hill once again. Brian Talkington, who has turned into a Blue Shoe style racing freak, did say he was going to try it though.

As I mentioned this course is known for its flatness, which is mostly true. There is a slight incline most of the first mile, like half a percent on the treadmill, and just one nasty bump just past 1.5 miles. The last mile is slightly downhill and has produced some of my fastest mile splits in a 5k, a couple of sub 6 ers the last two years. The only bummer to this course is that it has been consistently long by Garmin – in the 3.15-3.17 range. Say what you will about the accuracy of a certified course (it is certified) versus a GPS but the times here are always a touch slow, and its not due to hills.

I got to the race my customary hour in advance and there’s one glaring difference between this year and last. It’s warm. And humid. Like high 60’s. This is the same race I’ve raced in long sleeves and had to stay warm in the gym in previous years, so at least 30 degrees warmer than 2012. Trophy didnt bother to show up, but I can only imagine the complaining from him that would have ensued.

Since this race is also Grand Prix, there’s some masters all stars in attendance. Billy Tisdale, Geary McAlister, Birgit Spann, John and Nancee Sneed, Arnold Floyd, Henry Holt and Rocky Soderberg are all people who inspire me for my next 30 years. Newly minted master Shannon Iriel is there, though 2008 inaugural champ Coach B is taking the day off. Justin “A Standard” Bishop is there to apparently easily take the win, because I dont see Plex or any other people that might challenge him. The kid Jaz Greene, who has won this race twice, didn’t show up. The Code, who I think may have run this race every year, was on board. J-Reeves was getting back in the saddle after an extended time away. Joyce was there to try and take down her 5k PR, though I warned her about the extra distance.  This is Diesel country so the Diesel, Brady, and Jen were there with Brooke pulling water station duty. Other Lugoff-Elgin locals like Mitch Prosser, Chad Teal, Chad and Betsy Long and Sharon Cole were in attendance as well. Tri beasts Wes Spratt and Lorand Batten were back for another running only event. As mentioned, Brian Talkington was ready for his double dip, with car strategically parked for the quick getaway.

After a two mile warmup which felt like jogging with a warm wet blanket on my head, we were ready to start. First 50 meters had a bunch of puddles from last nights rain and of course I managed to find most of them. Because thats what my out of shape ass needs – some extra weight in my shoes. We turn out of the shopping center and begin a long straight on hwy 378 that makes up the whole first mile. And it sucks. The cold breeze im used to in this race has been replaced with oppressive humidity. Feels like I’m breathing with a surgical mask on. And I’m getting passed already. People I dont know. One guy behind me is literally shouting out random groans and various mild expletives. He scared the crap out of me when he goes “DAMN IT” right next to me. I feel your pain, dude. I’m not one for primal screams but my internal dialogue is decidedly less family friendly.  I feel like total death at mile 1 and the garmin spits back like 6:30ish. Not too bad, because I remember mile 1 to be on the slow side because of the slight incline. Way up ahead I see Billy and it kills me how bad he, Geary,  Shannon and Code are kicking my ass. Like chasing the ghost of your former self. We make the turn at 1.25 and “DAMN IT” surges ahead of me and Chad Long. Oh hell no. I keep up with him regardless of how bad I feel, which is pretty damn bad. The turnaround segment is about a half mile and has the one nasty bump of a hill, short and steep. I drop mr primal scream and immediately cross the street to the left side as we begin the trip back home. Someone yells at me (probably screamer..go figure) to go on the right side of the road, presumably so I can get run over from behind by the very 5k savvy Lugoff traffic. As I approach the 2 mile mark Birgit passes me. I cant tell whether I’m dying or she’s surging, or both. Just after the 2 mile there’s a slight rise and then begins the descent all the way home. But wait..who’s that loping along with the Team Utopia singlet? It’s the CODE. Now, I know the Code is either injured or having a very bad day, but nothing inspires a blue shoe kick like a weakened Code. See:

Granted our head-to-head is like 5-75, but Code doesn’t have a blog to publicly shame me. Code must be doing like 7:30 pace because we catch up pretty quickly. I briefly think I’m leading my age group but then I realize Talkington is in another zip code up ahead. He’s exacting major vengeance on the 2012 runway blue shoe. I’ve passed a few people in the last mile, including Lorand, so I know the pace has piicked up some. That plus my breathing and form now mimic a wounded elephant. Less than a half mile to go and I finally retake Birgit, who has had the most unpleasant experience of that elephant breathing down her neck for the past 5 minutes. I round the turn and see David “Buckleup” directing us towards the finish line. One more unknown guy in front that I can take down if I really try hard. Nobody can accuse me of not trying hard, especially in the home stretch of a 5k, so I empty the tank and go after him. We make the last turn  and I manage to pass him, but since I’m on fumes I’m deathly afraid of him returning the favor. I can make out low 20 on the clock and flop across the finish in 20:52. Garmin had 3.19 miles. Man, it keeps getting longer. Ended up 8th overall, 2nd in AG. I’ll take it. Garmin had 6:32 pace so probably sub 20:30 through 3.11.

As expected Justin won easily, though he was quite disappointed with the 16:52. I hate when I almost slip into the 17’s. The horror!  Heather Costello was the women’s winner in 19:30. Shannon and Birgit took 2nd and 3rd. The 2nd male was a guy I havent seen race before, John Adams, who pulled an 18:41. And he’s 34, so I guess I’ll have to face him in the AG next year. Talkington actually took 3rd male, though they only went one deep with the snowglobe trophies.

In the age groups, Nancee Sneed took first in the 70+ , so she must have had a birthday recently. John is coming off an injury so he ran the race with her instead of giving Arnold Floyd a run for his money. Arnold took 1st in the 70+ men ahead of Rocky and Henry in 24:04. Brigitte Smith won the 60-64. The 55-59 men were a bunch of beasts with Geary taking the win over Lorand and Spratt. Birgit took the 50-54 women by only 11 minutes (21:14) . Slacker. Billy won the 50-54 men with Donald Prosser (Mitch’s dad) finishing 2nd and the victim of the blue shoes flop to the finish. Sharon Cole took the 45-49 just 2 seconds behind Birgit. Shannon finished agonizingly close to a sub 20 (20:01) but still got first in the 40-44 over Joyce (23:18). Chad Long has aged up to the 40-44 and won 2nd in 21:59. Jen Ward crushed a sub 24 and won the 35-39 women. Brian, myself and the Code in the 35-39 guys. Brady Ward, guided by the Diesel, ran a 24:39 and almost tracked down mom. Better watch your back, Jen.

Scanning the trophy hunt scene, I see Drew Williams won the overall at Jingle All the Way by over a minute in what may be one of his last SC races for a while.  New wife Tracy took home a first in AG as well. Way to end on a high note!  Talkington completed his double dip with a 2nd place. The Golbus twins, who double chicked me at the Turkey Day, finished 1st and 2nd female, with CRC rookie of the year Meme Spurgeon winning third.  Eric McMichael, Gasque, Ponamarev and Pete all won some AG glory. A ten year old named Garrison Budic won third overall make in 22 minutes. Impressive.

In the Patty Packs, Derek Gomez showed his River Bluff team who’s boss with a  39:33 win in the 10k on an ungodly brutal course. Kenzie Riddle took the female win, with Winston Holliday and Hunter Janus in the top 10. The 5k looks to have been a misdirected disaster, though Dutch Fork beast Anna Johnson took the win in one of two people who apparently ran the right course. Ted Hewitt did take an age group in like 30 minutes.  Nice 7k, Ted!

Friends of Sesqui winner Robert Rogers won in 22:12. Difficult to say whether this was a missed trophy chance since it was done on trails. Garris Haynes (7th) and Marie Queen are the only names I recognize. And then there’s Viking 5k for Education. Winning time of 20:35 by Trevor Drummond. Would have been an easy win for old Blue Shoes, close battle for the McGimp. Oh well. Hopefully back to trophy hunting shape soon!

Next races are Harborside Lights on 12/13,  Bayler’s Bash on 12/24 and Cold Winters Day 12/28.

The BGCM Turkey Day 5k has been around since 2005 and was run as an 8k up until about 3 years ago, when I started running the race. Its become the most prominent Thanksgiving race in the area and usually draws 500+ people. I’ve had the chance to run this race with my brother Ben the last two years. I paced him to a 21:23 as he was just starting back running and then barely held him off in a brother battle royale last year 19:40 – 19:56. He used to run 17’s in high school and owns a 16:45 PR , so I never know if he’s going to train back into that kind of shape. We had planned to renew the rivalry this year but he didn’t make it up to Columbia until after the race. He said he hasn’t been running much so between that and my gimp recovery it probably would have been close. My cousin’s husband Jason ran it with us last year and was actually in town that morning but opted out because it was “too cold”.  Sounds like Trophy!

Although this is a well done race, I can’t help but dread running it because of the course. If there’s anything that kills me its a race course with a hill right away. And oh, does this one have a hill. Basically a mile slog from the Colonial Center all the way to the middle of the Horseshoe on the USC campus before this thing levels out. Like a punch to the gut right off the starting blocks. The rest of the course isnt too bad, except for another short nasty incline at the 1.5 point. And you do get to plunge back down that hill at the end, if you have any strength and oxygen by that point. Its a certified course but also on the long side, about 3.16 by my Garmin history. Oops, sorry for that obscene level of running nerdery.

I get there about an hour early and it is damn cold. Mid 20’s by my car thermometer. I did a couple of miles with the Yerg and Geary. The toe felt like  freaking ice block but it got a little looser with the warmup.

We line up for the start and its a big crowd. Brian Talkington is back after his sub 20 from last week. Strictly Running ladies Shannon Iriel, Kenzie Riddle and Linn Hall are representing. Birgit Spann is back after a brutal runway run where it looked like she was going to collapse. And I thought my finishes were intense. Bill Haselden and family, the Diesels, Jason Dimery, the Roofs, Fadels, Mikulas and Golbuses were all on hand. Shiela Subbarao and Ken and Kenneth Vowles were representing TUS, in addition to the Yerg. Meg Weis was there on the road back from being a new mom. Ponamarev, Henry Holt, Hou Yin Chang, and Missy Caughman were also in the crowd.

I lined up first row to avoid the bottleneck of a big race and there’s a woman next to me, race day t shirt on, with a stroller. I was about to tell her she and her child are going to get trampled when Selwyn shouts go and we were off. I do a short sprint to avoid the stampede and what im sure is a pile up behind the stroller and then try to hold back because I know what misery is about to occur. Meg  and Ken catch up to me in a mini pack in the early going. Ken had told Kenneth to take it easy at the start because of the hill, but we both notice him leading the race up ahead. Typical teenager. After a quarter mile of flat and we start ascending the Pendleton street monster. Its not crazy steep but it slowly sucks your life away until youre pleading for death by the top. Meg apparently is back training hard because she kicks my ass on this mountain. I can’t see Ken but some beast is breathing down my neck so I assume its him. My the mile mark Meg has already gapped me pretty bad. First split was like 7:02. Thats not too bad considering the mountain climbing. I try to get my wind back on the ensuing straight but damned if the post cliff couch surf is rearing its ugly head again. Ive picked up a shadow too and finally I look over and its that damn Vowles again. We just battled at Shandon Turkey Trot and now its pale late thirties gimp battle royale part II (he’s also coming back from injury). We hit the turnaround hill side by side and I try and surge up the hill. Probably not a good idea because now I’m really dying. Ken repasses me and is a couple of steps ahead. Some rolling hills past the turnaround and we finally hit the mile 2 mark virtually together with the Golbus twins.  I think this sets up nicely for me, but damned if Vowles finds some other gear and just drops me. WTH? I try and stay with for a while but I sound like an elephant in heat so I cant push it any harder. The poor Golbus twins are going to have nightmares tonight, no doubt. The last mile is flat to screaming downhill and I just cant make any headway on Ken. In fact, he’s passing other people and even takes down Meg near the Colonial Center. I hear someone trying to blue shoe me but I give it all I have and avoid it, hit the finish at 20:51.

I would be disappointed with the time, but this the same race I did in 19:40 last year at 100 percent, so probably a better performance than the 20:41 at the completely flat Crit. Still sucks to get smoked by Ken, especially since, as I figured, he took the 3rd in AG. We will battle again Vowles! Graham Tribble, who won the CWD a few years back in low 15’s easily took the race in 16:13, followed by Hunter McGahee and Jason Dimery.  Leading the way for the women was Holly Ortund of Decatur, GA (always lots of out of towners for a Thanksgiving race) with Kenzie  taking second and Cheryl bell of NC third.  In the age groups, Parker Roof smoked a 19:49 to finish 2nd in the 2-14. Kenneth didnt listen to dad’s advice and finished with a 20:14 and 2nd in 15-19, with Evan Mikula 3rd. Golbus twins went 1-2 in the F15-19 and chicked me too. Anna Johnson placed third, which I assume was a stroll for her since I believe she’s Dutch Fork’s #1 varsity. Andy Mikula, coming off his SVPC 5 miler win, took 3rd in the 25-29. Brian Talkington took my 35-39 group ahead of the Yerg and Ken. Linn Hall won the women’s 35-39 just ahead of Meg. Shannon barely squeaked out a 4 minute win in the 40-44. Jim Fadel and Joe Roof had a close battle for 1-2 in the 45-49. Barabara Brandenburg and Sherry Fadel took the top two in the women’s 45-49. Birgit Spann eaily won the 50-54 while Bill Haselden took 2nd among the men. Geary destroyed the 55-59 competition by five minutes, just as Patti Lowden easily crushed the 60-64. John Hancock managed third in the 65-69 with coach Spurrier’s wife Jerri winning the female division. Rocky Soderberg had an awesome finishing kick to take the 70+.

Contrary to popular belief, I actually skipped the Runway Run and did a delayed double dip (Shandon Turkey Trot in the am) instead of the triple. I did show up at Runway and take pictures, but I guess people who know me assume that there’s no way I miss out on a chance at racing. I was actually trying a new thing for me: self restraint. Not my forte.

But there was no way I was missing the Crit. The race is tailor-made for me. Its at night, my favorite time to race. It involves multiple loops, which kind of sucks in theory, but also provides multiple opportunitites to act like an idiot in front of a crowd. They have craft beer available afterward, which is awesome in any circumstance, but particularly in the thirsty euphoria after a blue shoe kick. And then there’s an elite race you get to watch after the main race, with said beer in hand. Perfect. Especially for beer loving runner nerds who lurk on Flotrack and have  runner crushes on girls like Abbey D’Agostino and Kara Goucher. Not that I know anyone like that.

I felt pretty good after the Trot, if you ignore the soul-crushing depression brought on by getting Trophied , Tigsed and Vowlesed. But physically OK. The wreckage of sesamoids under my left toe is less a problem these days than the destruction wrought by couch surfing for 3 months. Damn you, Kauai.

I carpooled with the Code who had done 18 Justin Bishop enforced miles that morning and said he was not allowed to race. I was glad to have him drive because last years Crit left me in a non-drivable state for quite some time. We got caught parking in the Baptist hospital garage by an overzealous security guard who didnt believe I was there to visit someone in the hospital. Apaprently my runner shorts and Team Utopia South singlet may have given me away.

Got there about 45 minutes early and did a couple of warm up laps with Geary, who was also doubling with Runway earlier. A nice crowd was already on the 0.54 mile 2-block “track”, which you had to do 5 1/2 laps. They had some problems with accurate distance last year, but the course was sworn to be legit this time around. The open race had been changed to a 5k from an 8k  presumably to wrap things up earlier and simplify the open race (elites still did 8k). I knew Steven Johnson was  involved on the planning committee so I figured he had it sorted out. He and Shufy Rowe had recruited all the 621 ninjas out, so Adam Beam, Mike Hedgecock, Mary Claire Cox, Barrett Boozer, Kelly Foster, Allison Colberg and Randy Finn were there. Randy was dressed as Mr Mainstreet in full suit and tie, sure to shame a lot of people who dont realize he’s a 17 minute 5ker in normal clothing (he was also the dog at See Spot Run). John Gasque, Crystal Cordoba, Henry Holt, James Hicks and Marie Demetriades were there to complete their triple dips. Michael Ferlauto, Anita Recchio, Ted and Maryann Riley, Brady “Diesel Jr.” Ward,  Jonathan and Lisa King, Meme Spurgeon, Andrew Touzel, Pete Poore, Hou-Yin Chang, Travis Moran and Jason Dimery were all on hand. Lots of local runners in the spectators too, so felt like a big party.

First lap was the short one , followed by 5 full laps. We started away from the crowd near the corner of Taylor and Sumter. People  were flying out of the gates , and it felt even faster since it was at night. The course could hardly be more flat, just a little rise on one of the short sides of the rectangle. The key thing I was focused on was not losing track of the number of laps. A quarter mile in and the pack is already thinning out.  I see Adam  and Barrett up ahead, who I ran the whole 8k last year with. They dont race much so I dont know what shape they are in now. The first pass on Main street is nuts. Music blasting and tons of screaming. Awesome. Shannon and Jen Lybrand are at the corner and Angel, Brian Talkington and Wes Spratt are near the finish line. After the finish is the TUS corner with Sheila, Syd and Joyce. First lap feels surprisingly good despite the morning 8k.  By the second pass on Main Street and were already catching the back of the pack, requiring some tailback maneuvers to avoid collisions. I also have the sense I’m getting tracked down. Suddenly I get violently double chicked as ninjas Allison and Kelly blow by me at once. I recognize them from a couple of ninja runs but I think Ive only met Kelly.  I decide to latch on since I need a pacer anyway. Still feeling good. Three laps in and some wind sucking commences but the pace feels steady. We pass Adam around this time, but its getting hard to tell your position with so many people on different laps. We also finally take down Randy/Mr Mainstreet so there’s some relief there. No one wants to get “costumed”. I hit the final lap in 17 something and I know its only a half mile to the finish. My kick is not what it used to be but if there’s a finish line near I will throw down. I pass Kelly on the first straight and  try to track down Allison.  But Allison can either hear the grizzly bear stampede behind her or she’s on her own blue shoe blast – just couldn’t catch her. I hit the home stretch and I’m a little disappointed to see the time in the low 20’s since I thought I was really killing it. Hit the line in 20:43.  11th overall, 1st in AG. Not as fast as I’d hoped but I’ll definitely take it. Toe gave me no trouble and the only thing holding me back was my own lack of fitness. Hopefully i can reclaim some of that now that I can get my weekly miles back up.

Jason Dimery killed it to take the overall win in 17:09, lapping me there at the end. Oh the shame!  Travis Moran, who used to be right with me in 5ks, crushed a 17:57 and just keeps getting faster. Incredible – must be all that TUS training! Ninjas Hedgecock, Mary Claire and Barrett went 6-7-8, followed by Geary (2nd masters) and Allison (2nd overall female) . Mary Claire won the overall female by a minute, while Hedge took 1st masters. Kelly won third overall female. Anita Recchio and Meme Spurgeon went 2-3 in female masters. In the age groups Hedge part II, Myles, took a photo finish 2nd in the 11-14 .  Brady “Diesel Jr” Ward  won 2nd in the 2-10 with a 23:47 PR. Marie Demetriades had no competition in the 11-14 girls but finished off her triple dip in style in 23:10. Mary Ann Riley won the 15-19 AG.  Barrett and Adam went 2-3 in the 30-34, while Randy “Gen Honeybadger” Finn took 3rd in the 35-39. Ted Riley won the 45-49 while Jonathan King took the 50-54. John Gasque finished third in the same category to cap a productive triple dip as well. Lisa King won the 50-54 while Talley Lattimore took the 55-59. Pete Poore was all alone in the 60-64 but ran a strong 27:10.  Margaret Holt won the 65-69 females and Rocky and Henry battled it out for 1-2 in the 70+. Henry may be 77 but he shamed all the youngsters with a triple dip of his own. Awesome.

Speaking of awesome, the elite race was crazy fast. The winner, Emmanuel Bor, ran a 22:39 state 8k record. That’s 4:34 pace – dude looked effortless doing it too. You know this race was competitive when Gov Cup half winner (in 1:06) Michael Banks took 5th. Major props to locals Kenzie Riddle, Kathryn Cavanaugh and Tim Jeffreys for toeing the line with these professional beasts.

Kudos to Steven Johnson and crew for putting on a great event!

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/13Crit.txt

So I actually ran this race but Trophy offered to guest blog since I double dipped. Its amazing how his interest level goes up if he gets to revel equally in his own glory and in my shame.

The Shandon Turkey Trot is a 4K and 8K in its 32^nd year, hosted by the Shandon Neighborhood Association. It’s a pretty flat course around Shandon, run around the same area as several other races. The 8K is a double loop, and those are never much fun.

 I’m not a double loop fan either. Nothing sucks like seeing the finish line to tell you you’re half done.

Surprisingly, I had never run this race. I had thought about running it for a couple weeks but figured I would wait until race day to sign up. I had nothing better to do so figured I might as well race right?  Ok ok…so there were other motivating factors. I won’t lie, I wanted a turkey trophy.  For those of us that have raced a lot of races over the years, we have many medals and probably a few trophies. You show up enough you are bound to get some.  But to get a unique trophy is rare. I wanted a turkey! I also might need some age group points. But other than that, I just wanted to race. I was coming off an epic bonk the second half of Savannah and figured I needed to get back on the horse. This was either going to go be really good or really bad.  With two other races on the same day, there was no telling who would or wouldn’t show up.

The best thing about the turkey trot is the age group trophies. First and second get big turkey ones, but third gets the shame of the small “running man”.  But , hey, still a trophy. 

I had been watching the weather all week long. As we got closer to race day it was getting worse and worse. I woke up Saturday morning and it was already in the 60’s and pretty humid.  As I’m sure all of you know from the countless times Alex has mentioned it, I do not like hot and humid. But I sucked it up and headed to the race anyways. I got there pretty early so I could get signed up. Walk up and there is pretty much no one there. Started thinking maybe this will be a day that no one shows up and it will make things easy on me.  I get signed up and turn around and Ken Vowles shows up. Ugh. He is coming back from injury but before he got injured he was beating me and training like a mad man. Of course, in my age group. Talk to him and turn around and who is it but the Blue Shoes himself. Of course he is shocked to see me. I could run 10 races in a row and he would still be shocked for some reason. 3 of us around the same pace and in the same age group. Awesome. I’m not feeling so good at this point. I am really not sure how I will feel racing and am certain the warm temps will not help things. Alex and Ken are both somewhat gimp right now, so I’m already imagining them both beating me and the ridicule. To make matters worse I look up and David Pappas is here. Y’all might know him as the “shirtless guy” from Hammer the Hills. Apparently he has shown up to seek revenge on me for stalking and passing him.  Not likely. He is actually a very nice guy and probably could care less. But that wouldn’t make this as dramatic now would it???

Trophy pulls an Eeyore everytime he gets ready to race. Total Debbie Downer. “Its too hot.” “Those guys are faster than me” “I’m sick”  Call the wahmbulance, Trophy.

A few other regulars show up as well. Plexico is there to make sure no one gets a lucky win. Team Allers is there. Randall Hrechko, Jennifer Lybrand, Karen Manning, Pete O’Boyle, and James Hicks.

I think the goal from the start is for Alex, Ken and I to form a pack and keep in it. Don’t think any of us want to let the others get ahead. From the start the pace is a little quick, but the three of us stick together. Unlike normal, I am actually the one setting the pace. Apparently our pace is slow since at the mile point we are lagging a good ways behind and I think we ran in the 6:30-6:40 range. Alex lets out a groan and I’m not sure why. I suspect it might be because of our pace, and indeed it was. I can hear him breathing and it feels like a large bear is right behind me. Scary, but a good sign, for me.  At this point I’m feeling pretty good and sense he might be struggling a little. Ken is tucked in behind us as well. We are still a good ways behind the others though. Work to do.

I went out in my “old” 8k pace, because I can’t accept being slower. Never mind using a walker and looking like a Party City mummy 4 months ago, in my mind I’m still my usual grandiose self.  But if we are giving out prizes for reckless first miles, I’d have to give one to Jen Lybrand. The girl must of pulled a 6:20 opening split, even though her PR is over 7 minute pace at this distance.

“Struggling a little” meant gasping for air and wanting to crawl in the fetal position.

Around a mile and a half in I start to pull away. At least I think I am. I am trying to keep my pace consistent and the bear noises seem to be fading. I dare not look back…I just keep pushing on as hard as I can. I leave them and head out in search of roadkill.  After 2 miles in there are still plenty ahead of me. After the first loop I have managed to catch a couple, and now my eyes are set on Tigs, Pete and David. I can see them not too far ahead, but I’m not sure if I can catch them. Surprisingly I feel pretty good and I seem to be gaining on them all.  I catch up with David around the 3 mile mark and can tell he is fading. I pull up next to him and he says good job or something and I continue on. I am first in age group at this point, just have to hold it.  I push on and manage to catch Tigs a little bit farther up and then Pete not long after her. I am managing to run a smart race again. This feels weird.

Trophy apparently is astounded by the fact he is having a good race. I’m watching him pull away and since I came in like a wrecking ball in mile 1, there’s nothing I can do about it. Fortunately the toe and knee are feeling fine. Its that whole oxygen exchange thing thats letting me down. He was right about never looking back – he knows thats blood in the water for a blue shoes kick.

Once I pass them there is only Randy up ahead. He is a good ways ahead but it’s just us two now. I take a quick look back on the last turn and as long as I don’t completely fade I should be good. No bear in sight. In the back of my mind the entire time was the thought of being Blue Shoe’d. That would surely do me in.  About a half mile to go and I’m getting closer to Randy. I don’t think he is catchable, but I’m gaining??  I’m hurting a little but am able to speed up some and have him in my sights. The last half mile or so is a long straightaway and you can see up ahead.  Randy is like 7 feet tall so he is easy to see. I give it all I got and come up just a little short, but at least I scared him a little bit.

I had no chance at Trophy. He dropped me like a bad habit a la Gov Cup 2009 or Richmond 2010. I chased that damn Vowles kid the whole race with his neon yellow shirt. I swear I had him with a mile to go but the legs decided to take a lactic acid bath and I couldnt do it. I was going back and forth with this one girl (later identified as Ashley Smoak) who was like 5 feet tall but was breathing like Geary McAlister on cocaine. She had her sights on chicking me but I saved an ounce of pride and “smoaked” her at the finish.

I managed 5^th overall behind Plex, Eric Allers, Heather Costello, and then Randy. Very happy with that. 33:42 and a PR by a couple seconds I think.  No Blue Shoes epic comeback today. Guess that will have to wait for another day. He did have a good race considering though. He experienced a Trophy moment. Finished 10^th overall but failed to get an age group award. Been there done that, many times. Tigs, David, Pete, Ken, and then Alex rounded out the top ten.  They only went one deep overall so that went to Plex and Heather. I managed to get a large turkey! So happy. All of the above managed age group glory except Alex, even though they did large age groups. Maybe there will be an epic Blue Shoe/Trophy showdown soon. Would make for a good blog wouldn’t it?  Until then, Trophy is out, and still on top.

Epic Blue Shoe/Trophy showdown? I seem to remember one from earlier this year…

https://tourdeblueshoes.com/2013/03/10/triple-dip-march-for-meals-5k-colorectal-cancer-awareness-5k-race-judicata-5k-3213/trophy-loss/

Other notable age groupers are..Umm, what the hell? For a race thats been around for 32 years, there’s no excuse for this. I’m sure our over 50 crowd loves being lumped together all in one group. Looks like all the other adults were in weird nine year groups. Marie Demetriades started her triple dip with a win in the 2-14. Jen finished 2nd in her AG behind Smoak and had a big PR at 35:23. Ken took third in my AG and took my “running man”  away from me. I did win the prize as first loser not to get a trophy. Eric Allers and Randy Hrechko went 1-2 in the 41-50. Karen Manning and Barb Brandenburg finished 1st and 3rd in the female 41-50. In the “51-98” Tigs won 1st with Catherine Addison 3rd. Pete O’ Boyle and Lorand Battern took the same positions among the males. Looks like Wes Spratt, John Gasque, Mike Compton ,Henry Holt and Jesse Smarr were a few of the shafted would-be age groupers.  Marie, John, Henry and Crystal Cordoba all completed triple dips by the end of the day.