Joe O'Leary (555) heading for a Grand Prix Championship (Photo by Ruth Sespaniak)
Race: Doyle’s Emerald Necklace Road Race
Location: Franklin
Park
Distance: 5
Miles
Goal Time: 30:23
Actual Time: 31:19
Now as the wind was humming into our face, I decided to step
up and block the wind for Bradley who had carried me through the first 2
miles. Upon my step in front the wind
immediately stopped. I am a god!
Doyle’s was both the second leg of the NE Runner’s Pub Series
and the culmination of the five part SRR Grand Prix. As long as Matt “Ran-A-Marathon-6-Days-Before-In-90-Degree-Heat”
Noyes didn’t beat me, I had pretty much locked up 15th Place in the
Grand Prix. (Of course, if Matt RAM6DBI9H did beat me, he would have really
deserved 15th Place). With
nothing to lose (except maybe dropping from 15th to 16th
Place in the standings), I checked with Bradley (who was even MORE certain of
finishing in 14th Place than I was of my 15th) that he
was going to try to break 30 minutes and I figured I’d follow him for as long
as I could.
The course winds its way over the Olmsteadian Circuit Road
in Franklin Park that hugs the edges of the golf course. It takes the right at Playstead and the
passes the Giraffe entrance of zoo. It
was around hear that I did my magic with wind…
After the turn around by White Stadium, the course goes back
to the golf course and takes a left. It
was at the 3 mile mark (which was slightly too early) and the timer placed us
at 18:20. By the time we passed the Club
House again, I could no longer keep up with Bradley.
Mile four for me was a recovery mile. I ran what was probably a tad under 7. The four mile check was at 25:28.
At the time check I had fully recovered and was ready to
bolt for the finish, but Erin Morin had warned me of the next half mile that
was enough uphill to be a bit snotty. So
I held back and held back until I was at 28 minutes and near the 4.5 mile mark
before I gunned it. There was very
little uphill left and then a little downhill to Doyle’s pub for the finish.
I almost caught back up with Mariah who had passed me during
my recovery mile… but it was not to be.
I pulled in with a 6 minute PR – 31:19.
Also, I finished the last mile in under 6 minutes (5:51) –
something I have never done later than mile 2 of a race. Also I beat both Tim Morin* AND Megan Hyland*
for the first time. (*They were also
part of the Ran-A-Marathon-6-Days-Before-In-90-Degree-Heat Club, so it’s not a
100% victory).
Shoutouts –
Korynn, SoRad, Matt Noyes, Bradley Harris and Seth Maleri all had 5 Mile Personal Records
(Korynn and SoRad also beat FatJesse’s PR).
Megan and Chris Smith both took third in their age groups
(and SoRad in no way almost lost Megan’s medal).
Joe O’Leary and Mariah Tinger pulled off the double – they both
won their age group AND locked up first place for men and women in the SRR Grand Prix.
And SRR helped finish off the beer truck and close down the bar . . .
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