The third race for the Colonial Road Runners Grand Prix was this past Sunday. It was the Doyle's Emerald Necklace 5 Mile Race in JP. The course was predominantly run in Franklin Park so safe to say very runner friendly. It's a huge race....my guess is 1500+. Very well organized and a mix of all kinds of runners. From fast to slow and everyone in between. For the casual runner, or maybe first time racer, Doyle's would be an excellent event. And of course, being as it is Doyle's, one doesn't have to stray very far to get a cold beer....either before the race at 10am of after the race when runners drink for free!! There aren't many times that I miss a cold beer, but I have to admit Sunday post race was a test!
The weather was miserable at the start. A steady sprinkle and at times a little more than that. The problem was the 45 degree temp....or maybe 50. Whatever, it was that raw, wet feeling. As miserable as it was, this type of weather is actually very runner friendly. Temps in the 40's are absolutely perfect conditions if you are planning on getting after it. I wasn't, but did adjust my plan of an 8:30 average pace accordingly. So in typical JD fashion, out I went at a pace that was probably a bit aggressive. Hit mile 1 in 7:50. For this time of year, thats a tad foolish and, so I thought, probably not something I should expect to maintain. I'll spare the mile by mile details. But i surprised myself and maintained a 7:45 pace throughout. My goal entering the race was to be around 41-42. I ended up smashing that and came in sub 39:00. Very happy with that and also happy to take home second in my age group for the CRR Grand Prix.
So this is going to be an interesting next few days in Boston. All of the memories are rekindled and we all will deal with the Marathon in our own way. There are millions of stories out there and most of us will remember where we were at 2:50pm on Patriots Day 2013. We will also surely remember where we were that Friday night when the Watertown and State Police cornered the cowering punk curled up in a ball in a trailered boat. All of these memories very similar to 9-11, albeit to a lesser degree for most. Certainly not for the families of those killed or injured. This IS their 911. The emotions will run the gamut from sadness to anger to pride. Personally, for me Monday will be just another day. I'll get up, thank God for another day, and go to work. Sure, I will reflect in my own way and probably spend some time watching or reading about the race and the events surrounding it. Hoping that it's turns out to be a glorious, uneventful day.
While I would have liked to run this year in Boston, this old boy is neither fast enough to qualify nor lucky enough to be selected for a entry. That's OK, there are others more worthy. Perhaps one day soon, maybe in the fall, I will run my own Boston Marathon. Get dropped off in Hopkinton and just start running. For the love of the run.....my tribute to those lost last year.
Who's with me?
Good luck to all the runners Monday, especially the Colonials that are running. And good luck to all of the volunteers that make Boston the greatest race on Earth. Finally, let's pray for the safety of all in Boston Monday.
Run FOR life, not from it,
JD
No comments:
Post a Comment