25K in 25H: 3 Race Weekend (5/19-5/20/12)

Finishing the Bedford 5K (Race #2 of the Weekend)

I made one of the last turns into Drydock to hear Gordon yell out: “3 races in 25 hours: you’re crazy!”  (Or Stupid as Wichers said).

Race #1:  Bedford Rotary 12K

Place:  Bedford, NH

Date: 5/19/12, 9:00 AM

Goal Time: 50:00

Actual Time: 51:42

The Bedford Rotary 12K is one of the wildcard distance races of the USATF Grand Prix.  So of the 500 people in the race, more than 300 of them (60%) broke 8 minute miles!    

This was the race that I just didn’t have it.  In the first mile I tried to keep up with John Wichers – mistake!  But after recovering in miles two and three, I settled into a nice sub 7 minute mile pace and finished in the top 40% - not great but for a championship race it’s passable.

1 race: 12K total, 1 hour

Race #2: Bedford Rotary 5K

Place:  Bedford, NH

Date: 5/19/12, 11:30 AM

Goal Time: 21:19

Actual Time: 20:31

So the 5K was the exact opposite of the 12K.  It was a small town fun run basically.  162 people ran it and only 20 of them (12.3%) broke 8 minute miles!

This time I DID NOT try to stay with Wichers in the first mile.  I ran hard to wake up my legs and then eased back into 6:40 or so pace for pretty much the whole race.  Hanging on to 6^th in the end (and a good sprint on the track to end).

Since John took 3^rd overall and Tim took 1^st in his age group, I won the Clydesdales – sort of.

2 races: 17K total, 2.5 hours

Race #3: Harpoon 5 Miler

Place:  Boston, MA

Date: 5/20/12, 10:00 AM

Goal Time: 33:00

Actual Time: 32:29

To complete the wild weekend of racing was the Harpoon 5 Miler.  This is the classic city big race.  3500 finishers – a quarter of whom broke 8 minute miles – of varying abilities all meeting in the end at the Harpoon Brewery for a few post race pints.

This is one of the packed race starts where some 10 minute milers try to get to the front and box out faster people.  Fortunately for me I didn’t care what happened in this race.  I started slowly and didn’t even think of running until mile one.  By mile two I realized I was OK if not fast. 

I spent the last 3 miles passing the less prepared.  I came in with my second fastest 5 miler ever.

The SRR – AV Club team took 1^st place among “Mostly Male Teams”

Me – 32:29

Richard Lu – 34:22

Paul Venuti – 35:55

Sarah Bolt – 36:12

Marc Macdonald – 41:37

Seth Maleri – 44:03

I also got to see Kazim from Latin Academy who I haven’t seen since the Early 90s.

3 races: 25K total, 25 Hours!

Shoutouts

12K –

Robert Cipriano won the Seniors in the 12K

Kate Hails won her age group in the 12K

Aaron Beer had a 12K PR and broke 1 hour!

SRR Teams:

Open Men – 6^th

Masters Men – 2^nd

Seniors Men – 2^nd

Open Women – 7^th

Masters Women – 4^th

And if there had been a Clydesdale Team category – SRR would have dominated, taking places 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8!

5K –

John Wichers took 3^rd overall

Tim Harden took 1^st in his age group

5 Miler

SRR AV Club – 1^st “Mostly Male Team”

Kazim Mohammed – PR

John Wichers who broke 30 minutes and completed the same triple I did this weekend.