The rootsrunner dilemma
As last night became this morning, it was just one of those times.
The clock struck midnight last night and it was impossible for me to walk away from the irie grooves that flowed out of the Barking Spider Tavern. This is home turf for the PLUS Band--and it rocks. They get a full 3+ hours to perform before a wildly appreciative crowd. Its here that we get to hear some of the Carlos' new material as well as some of his more obscure covers. Its a gig I don't like to miss.
Set list report
Its been a while since I've heard 'Tres riddims,' which is a medley of Rockford Rock, Move out of Babylon, and Modern Antique. I'm looking forward to the new album (due 2007,) in which Leave a trail and Music to the Rescue are bound to be instant hits. 'Leave a trail' is quickly becoming one of my mantras.
So here's my dilemma: How do I enjoy great live latenight music at the same time to rise early and head out to run? Its tough, since there's a limited number of afternoon and early evening gigs. Well, I ended up doing what I normally do. Skip the sleep and go for the fun! After a mere 4 hours of slumber, I was up, out the door, and on the way to Hudson.
Today's run: 10 miles total, 3.5 warm-up, 3.7 race, and 3.0 cool-down.
Race Report
Today was the 5th edition of the the Joseph C. Monastra 5k in Hudson--a fundraiser for pancreatic cancer research. The race is part of the Hudson Clocktower Series and the race starts on the town green and the course toured Hudson neighborhoods. I met Chuck, Tara, and Vince and we departed for a good warm-up at about 45 minutes prior to gun. The morning was quite humid and warm. Halfway through warm-up, a good hard rain came down on us. No big deal since we were already warm and the rain provided a cooling effect. After a few sets of strides, I head over to change into my snazzy yellow racing flats. I've had these shoes since March, yet they only had 7 miles total. I tested them out during Friday's stiders, they felt good, so I gave them a go in the race. After a few more striders, the race started.
It was still raining, but it wasn't a problem. The race got going and after the first 3-4 minutes, the field spread out just fine and I was in about 10th position and Tara was not far behind. At the 6 minute mark, I was still looking for the mile marker, with none to be found. Then at the 1.75 mile mark, the race fell apart. Aparently, we (the racers) missed a turn, and it seems that the lead vehicles mislead us. What a bummer. The leader, Nilesh, made the decision to turn back and he let us all know the bad news. At that moment, it felt as if the wind was removed from my sails. I was in the groove, reserved, and I felt I had something left for the final mile. Oh well.
So we turned around. Most of us ran the full distance to where the leader turned, but some turned sooner. I once had about a 30-40 yard lead on Tara and now she had about the same lead on me. No fair! At some point, we returned to the original course and headed back. Without fully knowing, I felt like I was running 6:10-6:15 pace (goal was 6:15) before we turned. After accepting that we ran off course, I managed to get going again and to just run for the workout and for the race of it. If it wasn't bad enough, in the 3rd mile the heavy rains returned. It rained so hard that at one point I could not see. As the clock passed 19 minutes I knew we were running a long course.
Final time: 23:33 (3.7 miles; 6:22 pace)
A bit disappointed that I didnt get a fair 5k test. I was feeling okay today. As we congregated at the finish line, the pouring rain seemed even more intense. Sheesh. The poor volunteers and spectators got drenched. After a few minutes of complaining to each other and comparing how long we thought the course was, we all headed off into the rain for good cool-down.
That being said and even with the poor race outcome, I was impressed how everyone involved was a good sport about it. A fun, wet time was had by all. After the awards and a quick change of clothes a small group of us headed over for a smoothie.
Hmmm...what was that dilemma I was talking about?
The clock struck midnight last night and it was impossible for me to walk away from the irie grooves that flowed out of the Barking Spider Tavern. This is home turf for the PLUS Band--and it rocks. They get a full 3+ hours to perform before a wildly appreciative crowd. Its here that we get to hear some of the Carlos' new material as well as some of his more obscure covers. Its a gig I don't like to miss.
Set list report
Its been a while since I've heard 'Tres riddims,' which is a medley of Rockford Rock, Move out of Babylon, and Modern Antique. I'm looking forward to the new album (due 2007,) in which Leave a trail and Music to the Rescue are bound to be instant hits. 'Leave a trail' is quickly becoming one of my mantras.
So here's my dilemma: How do I enjoy great live latenight music at the same time to rise early and head out to run? Its tough, since there's a limited number of afternoon and early evening gigs. Well, I ended up doing what I normally do. Skip the sleep and go for the fun! After a mere 4 hours of slumber, I was up, out the door, and on the way to Hudson.
Today's run: 10 miles total, 3.5 warm-up, 3.7 race, and 3.0 cool-down.
Race Report
Today was the 5th edition of the the Joseph C. Monastra 5k in Hudson--a fundraiser for pancreatic cancer research. The race is part of the Hudson Clocktower Series and the race starts on the town green and the course toured Hudson neighborhoods. I met Chuck, Tara, and Vince and we departed for a good warm-up at about 45 minutes prior to gun. The morning was quite humid and warm. Halfway through warm-up, a good hard rain came down on us. No big deal since we were already warm and the rain provided a cooling effect. After a few sets of strides, I head over to change into my snazzy yellow racing flats. I've had these shoes since March, yet they only had 7 miles total. I tested them out during Friday's stiders, they felt good, so I gave them a go in the race. After a few more striders, the race started.
It was still raining, but it wasn't a problem. The race got going and after the first 3-4 minutes, the field spread out just fine and I was in about 10th position and Tara was not far behind. At the 6 minute mark, I was still looking for the mile marker, with none to be found. Then at the 1.75 mile mark, the race fell apart. Aparently, we (the racers) missed a turn, and it seems that the lead vehicles mislead us. What a bummer. The leader, Nilesh, made the decision to turn back and he let us all know the bad news. At that moment, it felt as if the wind was removed from my sails. I was in the groove, reserved, and I felt I had something left for the final mile. Oh well.
So we turned around. Most of us ran the full distance to where the leader turned, but some turned sooner. I once had about a 30-40 yard lead on Tara and now she had about the same lead on me. No fair! At some point, we returned to the original course and headed back. Without fully knowing, I felt like I was running 6:10-6:15 pace (goal was 6:15) before we turned. After accepting that we ran off course, I managed to get going again and to just run for the workout and for the race of it. If it wasn't bad enough, in the 3rd mile the heavy rains returned. It rained so hard that at one point I could not see. As the clock passed 19 minutes I knew we were running a long course.
Final time: 23:33 (3.7 miles; 6:22 pace)
A bit disappointed that I didnt get a fair 5k test. I was feeling okay today. As we congregated at the finish line, the pouring rain seemed even more intense. Sheesh. The poor volunteers and spectators got drenched. After a few minutes of complaining to each other and comparing how long we thought the course was, we all headed off into the rain for good cool-down.
That being said and even with the poor race outcome, I was impressed how everyone involved was a good sport about it. A fun, wet time was had by all. After the awards and a quick change of clothes a small group of us headed over for a smoothie.
Hmmm...what was that dilemma I was talking about?
2 Comments:
I think at small charity races like that some mishap is to be expected. Just be happy your entry fee went to a good cause and you got in a good speed workout! Great job!
If I thought I was in good shape, and running a PR pace, I'd might have been upset. Good thing I'm not in 5k shape...
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