What happened to summer? (Part 1)

Wow, where the heck did the summer go?!?!?  The last entry to my blog was before the fourth of July, and that seems like it was just yesterday.  So, what have I been up to…

 The third of July was my first in a series of races this summer.  Some were big, some were small, some fast, some slow, each race that I run has its own uniqueness.  This one was the biggest of the summer. 

The Finish at the 50 is a relatively new race, and it's unique in the fact that you finish at the 50 yard line of Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA.  Home of the New England Patriots!!   It’s now in its third year, and this year they offered a 5K, as well as the 10K that’s been around since the beginning.  Last year, I ran the 10K, and I was doing the same this year, so I had a goal… beat last year’s time.  This year, they made a few changes, race time was at 6:30PM as opposed to 10:00AM, and with two races (both starting at the same time) there were twice the amount of people.  I had hoped that the temperature would be a little cooler, but not this time.  86 degrees at 6:30PM, and there was 50-70% humidity.  CRAP!

The race started, and unfortunately most beginner runners don’t realize that you don’t need to start in the front, unless you do a 6-minute mile or less. Now, I only run about a 7:30-8:30 myself, so I start mid pack.  This is especially true when they have pace signs posted.  The first mile sucked!  That’s about how long it took to weed out the slower runners (some of who were walking after less than ½ mile).

In the end, I had a minor amount of success, and finished about a minute ahead of last year.

Four days later, it was time for another 5K.  This one was in Holyoke, MA at the Ashley Reservoir.  This is one of my favorite running locations.  The Jonno Gray 5K is a first year race that was set –up in the memory of a local athlete that suddenly passed away this past winter from an undetected cardiac flaw.

What a difference a few days makes. Another evening race, but the weather was more cooperative this time.  I pushed as much as my body would let me, and the result was a season best 23:57.