Around the World and Back: Francis Drake and the 5k (9/26/2013)

SRR Series winners - Joe - 3rd overall, me - 1st 30-39 age group, Gordon - 1st 50-59 age group, Kieran - 1st overall 

Race: Thursday Night Run #6
Location: Boston, MA
Goal Time: 19:00
Actual time: 19:24

On September 26, 1580, Francis Drake and 59 other crew members sailed their ship, the Golden Hind, into Portsmouth Harbor.  Drake became only the second mission to complete the circumnavigation of the Earth - the first famously being Magellan (who of course actually died en route).

On September 26, 2013 The Race Menu Thursday Night Series had it's finishing.  After six circumnavigations - May, June, July, August, September - of the Elliot-Arsenal Bridge Sections of the Charles River.

This sixth and last race was the nicest weather of them all.  Unfortunately I wasn't in tip top shape for it.  About a mile and a half in, I kinda gave out and spent the last mile and a half hanging on.  I did manage a good sprint from the quarter pole in....

My 19:24 is probably still one of my top 10 5k times and was able to secure me the Series age-group championship.

Drake was knighted and became a rich man; I won a t-shirt.

The after party was at Tommy Doyle's and included Rapscallion Honey.

Shoutouts:

Personal Records: Tommy B, Anthony, Bradley and Brendan C
Bradley won the age group for the race
Jenn won the women's race
SRR won the team competition
Kieran and Joe took 1st and 3rd overall for the series
Me, Gordon and Barbara won our age groups for the series

Anachronistic painting of Drake being knighted by Queen Elizabeth
Apparently the physical knighting was done by a French diplomat.

No Sweat: Well, Less Sweat and the Thursday Night Race (9/5/13)

Race: Thursday Night Run #5

Distance: 5k

Goal Time: 19:00

Actual Time: 18:59 (Course PR, Second Fastest ever)

I passed the one mile mark and didn't feel like I was going to die.  It seemed - shockingly - that Amped Up Jesse hadn't shown up for this race.  I say this is "shocking" because I have a system. My 5k system is to run the first mile as close to 6:00 as possible.  Some day, I will then the next two at near the same speed.  Unfortunately, most time it's as effective as Ignatius J. Reilly's "filing system."

Almost immediately, Quitter Jesse slows down to a horrible uncomfortable 6:45 or so while I recover from the blistering pace of Amped-Up Jesse.  

Throughout the summer, I have found that this keeps happening - no matter how much I train. Why?  The easy answer is that I'm not getting better. But, some of it was heat and HUMIDITY.  The body attempts to cool itself by sweating.  This sweat then evaporates and cools the body.  In humid weather, there is no evaporation and not only does the body not cool as much, sweat can act as an insulator.  

Well, Race Number 5 saw both the temp and humidity plummet.  (It is after Labor Day.)  

So as I finished mile one at around 6:02, I was able to maintain a fast second mile - 6:09.  There is a quick sharp turn followed by 50 yards of steepness right after the 2 mile mark.  This is paired with a change in surface.  So, I did slow a bit running over the bridge and it did take a while to get back on any pace.  But, I still ran the third mile faster than any third mile of a 5k - including my PR from SuperBowl Sunday 2012.

I finished in 10th overall (5th in my age group) with my second faster ever 5k - 18:59.

Post party was all too little Clown Shoes Swagger (there can never be enough Clown Shoes). 

Shoutouts:

SRR had a double victory - Joe won the Open Race and Jenn won the Women's Race

Bradley finally beat out Kieran for the age group award 

Alison Lackey had yet another PR in the Women's Race

Get Lucky: Thursday Night Run #4 (8/8/13)

Start line
You can't hide that much at the front when you're 6'3" 225 and wearing bright yellow

Race: Thursday Night Run #4

Distance: 5k

Goal Time: 19:30

Actual Time: 19:46

Awaiting the start, the catchy/annoying Daft Punk song that's sweeping America started playing. Crap, I thought, Now this will be stuck in my head.

At the start of the race, Megan and I ran behind Anthony Dan McGinty.  At the first mile, we were at 6:09.

It seemed that Megan was speeding up as we passed the quarter pole.  But, really, I was slowing down. My legs were tired from workouts earlier in the week. Alas: "We're up for good fun."

The third mile was a fight.  I tried to keep up speed on my burnt out legs.  There was one guy I kept passing who would then sprint in front of me and then slow down.  I determined to ignore him and just expect it.

In the last three races, Somerville and Cambridge have traded off the team competition.  So with about a half mile left, two Cambridge runners passed me.  I realized I had to beat the woman. I planned to keep her in reach.  For the next half mile I was behind the Cambridge girl and the sprinting guy.

As we passed the 3 mile mark, I made my move.  First I passed the Cambridge girl - who caught onto my tail as I passed sprinting guy.  We came in seconds apart.  Hopefully this was enough for the team win.  Hopefully I get lucky.

I didn't.  Cambridge beat us by 13 seconds.

The after party was at Tommy Doyle's with Mayflower Summer Rye. Tommy Doyle's stuck us in the basement this time (I suspect the runners are crappy tippers).

Seven-Eleven: It was a good day (7/11/13)

Starting Line from Race #2

Race: Thursday Night Run #3

Distance: 5k

Goal Time: 19:30

Actual Time: 19:27

The third race in the Thursday Night Series was set for July 11th (Seven, eleven), which made me either want to listen to Ice Cube's Predator or - combined with the heat - have a Slurpee (I just found out it was free slurpee day too - dammitt!).

"With the seven, seven-eleven, seven-eleven" ~ Ice Cube

Unlike the 4k on the 4th, the apparent temperature wasn't terrible out there.  80 degrees with 73 dew point, created an apparent temperature of 86.  It was just enough to shake up the goals.  I figured it would add about ten seconds a mile to my goal time (from 6:07 to 6:17).  

"Shake em up, shake em up, shake em up, shake em" ~ Ice Cube

With no major race looming until the Carver Cranberry in two weeks, I rolled the dice and went for it.  The first mile was an easy-ish 6:06.  I slowed in the both the light short rain and the mugginess to a 6:26.  (Two Double Sixes!  "I'm yelling domino!" ~ Ice Cube).

The third mile was back in the middle as Rational Jesse got his stuff together and pulled in a hard but manageable 6:18 and sprinted well in the last 0.1 to bring in a 19:27.  Course PR!

Afterwards was dinner at Tommy Doyle's and a couple rounds of Long Trail's perfectly adequate Belgian White.

"I even saw the lights of the Goodyear blimp" ~ Ice Cube. (I didn't really)

Even without getting my free Slurpee on 7/11, "I gotta say, today was a good day!"

Joe, Kieran, Bradley, Anthony took 2, 5, 6, 8

I took 17th

Brendan C continued his streak of break 20 minutes (19:58)

SRR would have won the team competition but Sara didn't get her team registration.  But we took second by 18 seconds... Next month, watch out CRC

5-K on D-Day: RaceMenu Thursday Night Series #2 (6/6/13)

Dan and I finishing the first race in May

Race:  Thursday Night Run #2
Distance: 5k
Goal Time: 19:50
Actual Time: 20:05

I was not storming the beaches.  Nor was I dropping behind enemy lines.  Nor did I blast the shores from a warship.  I just ran, because 69 years ago my grandfather's generation did all of those things at Normandy and throughout the world so I could just run.

While we were sitting around the house in Maine, drinking some of his delicious summer homebrew, Scot and I discussed what's next.

In a fanciful flight that can only exist in a crazy runner's world.  Scot and I were done with the Pineland Farms 50k and now had to immediately start training for the 26 x 1 mile relay 4 weeks later.

So my fast turn-around training plan for the next two weeks is 2 track workouts a week, November Project's Tour de Stade, and a race each week.  Next week is the USATF championship downhill Hollis 5k.  This week was the second of the Race Menu Thursday Night Series.

After the tough track/hill workout on Tues and the Tour de Stade on Wed, the most I hoped for was to run a Threshold workout (6:24/mi) on the course.  At the gun, I went with the crowd.  I felt tired but I didn't blame that on the speed but on the sore legs.  I kept Dan in sight since he said he didn't expect to do much.

After we crossed the river and hit mile 1 mark my watched beeped.  I looked down - 6:08.  Not only was this not LT, it was on pace for my 3rd or 4th fastest 5k ever.  I knew it wouldn't last and that I shouldn't even try.  So, I pulled down to my Threshold pace for the next mile and tapered off from there.

Coming in at 20:05, I just missed averaging my LT and finished in 35th.

Finished the night with a trip to Tommy Doyle's in Harvard with Slumbrew's uninspired Attic and Eaves and Shipyard's perfectly serviceable Summer Ale.

Joe, Kieran and Bradley took 3, 4, 5
Dan finished with a 5k PR
Jenn R won the women's only race
SRR won the team award

RaceMenu Thursday Night Series #1 (5/2/13)

RaceMenu's Race #1

Goal: Don't do anything stupid
Real Time: 22:06

3 Days til Pittsburgh!