| Author |
Topic: New Haven 20K RR |
Twocat
Cool Runner |
 posted Sep-03-2007 06:31 PM
  
Sun and low humidity greeted the morning here in CT. A beautiful, if a tad warm, day to run a 20K race. Saturday my alma mater won its opening football game of the season so in their honor I wore an outfit that matched my school colors.  DW (who will run the 5K) and I left just before 7am to pick up my friend and training partner. Me, I am your Joe Schmoe ok runner. My training partner? She is amazing. My top secrete goal for the race is to finish in under 1:25:00. Her goal, in the 20K, is to add to her extensive trophy collection. At 7am we head off on the 40 minute drive to New Haven. We get there and drop our stuff off at the apartment of another friend of mine, running the 5K, who is having a post race party at her place. Unbeknownst to her I have a top secrete photo cake! A store in the town next to mine creates these things. You give them a picture and they copy it to the cake! It is really incredible. (Tastes good too!) Many of the runners at the party were members of a relay team that ran the NJ Marathon, and another batch are running the Reach the Beach relay next week (myself included). The picture on the cake is of the first relay team and a quip about it being the team's inaugural squad.Before I forget, I have one more goal: Win a bet with another friend of mine (who just started racing 6 weeks ago!) that he will run the race in under an 8:30 pace. Ah, to be 29 again! The loser owes three people lunch (the winner and two bystanders). I have yet to lose a race bet and the two bystanders (both of whom are past payer uppers) are rooting strongly against me!  The gun goes off. I have a pace band with me to make sure I stay on track for my goal. I am pretty much on target through the 10K mark. Actually, I have a small buffer built up of about 20 seconds or so. Then the sun starts to take its toll. It is hot! I am clearly dehydrating. At the mile 7 water stop I STOP and drink a full cup of water. Then off I go again. I am slowing down just a tad and I cannot afford that! I want that 1:25:00 time! I dig down and try to pick up the pace with some success. I cross the 11 mile mark an now I am down a few seconds. Only a mile and a bit to go to make it up. I speed up. Yes, truly. I make up a good chunk of time. I pass the 12 mile mark and give it everything I have left. I cross the finish in a gun time of 1:25:04 and a chip time of 1:24:56! YES!! A new PR by over 4 minutes! I am really psyched. Post race we find out my training partner finished 3rd in her AG! I know she really wanted that I am very happy for her. DW was a bit disappointed by her time but she ran a pretty good race. You simply cannot set a PR each time! Hard to convince her of that though. The cake was a huge hit! A couple of people even took pictures of the picture cake! lol It was pretty funny to see. My bet? Lost it by 2 seconds! Yes, two seconds! The bettee stooped to hit the rest room in the middle of the race! You would think he would know to go before the gun goes off not after!  So, now I have to buy lunch for three. Oh well, I am guessing one of the beneficiaries will be happy for over a week. She has lost two bets recently to me and has been looking for revenge. There will be a next time and we will see . . .
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tselbs
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-03-2007 06:39 PM
Other than losing your bet, it sounds like a great day, Twocat. You beat your secret goal with a big PR, your friends did well, and you enjoyed being with your friends. It's hard to beat a day like that.TomS ------------------
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JJJessee
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-03-2007 06:45 PM
Congrats Twocat, Thats way better than Joe Schmoe time especially on a hot day. Too bad about the bet. Make him wear a rubber band next time.
Good job,
jjj
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Econo
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-03-2007 06:50 PM
A 4 minute PR in a 20K? Most Excellent, Twocat!!
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ksrunr
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-03-2007 06:58 PM
Congrats to twocat and his dw on their races. I love it when dw's want to get better each time in their races. Sub 7's is not "Joe Schomoe ok runner" in my books. ksrunr
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choover
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-03-2007 10:53 PM
Hey, nice running 2Cat! Congrats on the smashed PR and also to your friend for her 3rd AG.
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Sans Souci
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-03-2007 11:04 PM
Flyin', Twocat. Great racing and massive PR!It sounds like you're having bunches of fun. Icing on that secret photo cake.
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Jim24315
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-04-2007 12:18 AM
Way to go Twocat. All your hard training is really paying off. I take back what I said on RunZone. Congratulations on a huge PR, Jim (aka "retread")
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Ileneforward
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-04-2007 10:48 AM
Very nice racing! And it was so wonderful of you to have that cake made, how fun for the team! Congratulations on a fun day with friends and family and setting a huge new PR!tsk tsk on the gambling though.
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Canfit
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-04-2007 02:17 PM
Great race and RR, Twocat!! A 4-min PR doesn't come every day. Way to go! Congrats also to your DW ... her day will come again.
PJ
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dtoce
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-04-2007 02:38 PM
Very nice race, Matt! A 4 minute PR is substantial. Nicely done. It seemed the weather was going to be perfect, but it did get a bit warm at the end. I ran the 5K and scooted across town several times to meet my DW who was running the 20K (her inaugural). The shady areas were very nice. I always remember that last stretch down Temple St takes forever... Keep up the fine training and racing. I hope to meet you at a local race sometime... Congratulations again on bring it home with a push at the end to meet your time goal.
Dale edited to add: Congrats to your DW on a fine race, too. It is nearly impossible to set PR's in crowds of thousands-and there were 2200 people in that 5K race. Even with chip timing, there will be jostling about and so on...I cheated and looked up her time based on your time, precisely listed for me in the results column of the website, and see that she's pretty quick. 26:41 chip time is quite respectable. I pushed myself up to near the start and only lost 2 seconds on the chip...ha. Too bad it didn't help enough to get an AG award...19:22-close but no cigar. [This message has been edited by dtoce (edited Sep-04-2007).]
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Tramps
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-04-2007 06:35 PM
Congrats on a great race and nice report. I was hoping to see a picture of that cake, though. 
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hollys4874
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-05-2007 01:56 PM
What a fun day it sounds like, racing with friends and DW, too. I have seen those photo cakes before (The Wal-Mart near here makes them) and they are really kewl. Congratulations on your PR - great race!------------------
Holly
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Lil Engine
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-06-2007 06:04 PM
Four minute PR? Wow! Nicely done.------------------
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"I think I can, I think I can"
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mbelongia
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-06-2007 07:29 PM
twocat, congratulations on your new PR! The cake sounds very cool, too. (Not so good about losing the bet, but...oh, well ).
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SkipAZ
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-07-2007 08:42 PM
Outstanding PR Twocat! And an excellent time as well. Congrats to you! Good luck at RTB next weekend.
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millbot
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-07-2007 09:17 PM
Nice PR there, Mr. Schmoe . Congratulations to the three of you!
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