Going for the Green: Doyle's Emerald Necklace 5 Miler (4/22/12)

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 15^th Place in the Grand Prix. (Of course, if Matt RAM6DBI9H did beat me, he would have really deserved 15^th Place).  With nothing to lose (except maybe dropping from 15^th to 16^th Place in the standings), I checked with Bradley (who was even MORE certain of finishing in 14^th Place than I was of my 15^th) 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.