Coastwalker
Cool Runner |
 posted Nov-26-2007 08:05 AM
  
I signed up for this race because I was itching to be IN a race instead of organizing one, for a change, and because I saw that Henry and Marj were doing it too. Also, it was the 20th anniversary of the Feaster Five, and I wanted to see what they were doing to commemorate the occasion, since one of my races will be celebrating a 10th anniversary next year, and we want to do something special there too.Race day was foggy and cool, with rain a possibility. I wore shorts and a long-sleeve shirt, but packed a bunch of clothes in my car, in the event the conditions changed by the 8:30am start. It was a 40-minute drive from home, and I got there before 7:30, checked in, got my chip, bib and shirt, and went back to relax in the car. Even with a windbreaker and windpants on, it was a little brisk to just be walking around. Eventually, I did start moving around, and came across Henry and Marj. We chatted for a bit, and I learned about their canceled bike trip in Hawaii that was being replaced by a trip to Texas for a half marathon and a meeting with Mr. Ribs (how could Hawaii beat that?). We then went our separate ways, and I did my warmups and stripped down to my black shorts, white l/s shirt, light gloves, cap, and my relatively new Asics Hyperspeed2 shoes. I lined up about a third of the way back of the huge field (there were over 4,000 finishers in the 5K, and probably about the same number in the 5-miler that started at the same place and time). This is a very friendly-to-all-comers race, so there were parents with their young kids, people with stroller, and people with their dogs all lined up at the start. The gun went off and we stood still for about 30 seconds before even starting to think about moving forward. We took baby steps to the start mats, and then people (some of them) started to pick up the pace. It was a real challenge for the first 3/4 mile to get around people who were in the race, but really just out for a morning stroll. At about a mile, things began to get sorted out and open up a bit, and those of us who wanted to race could finally start focusing more on our pace, etc., instead of bobbing and weaving to get around the strollers and avoid stepping on the small dogs. Some dogs were so small, they should have had a flag on a 4-ft pole so we'd be sure to see them. I saw the 1-mile mark, but the clock was on gun time which was pretty meaningless to me. I was still doing a little weaving, and never hit the split button on my watch. I never saw the 2 and 3 mile marks. I finished in 33:18 (10:43 pace), and in the top half of my age group. Not bad, considering the impact of the field on almost anybody's ability to really race this race. Afterwards, I peeled off my chip, got my medal (this was the special award that celebrated the 20th anniversary of the race), a banana, bagel, bottle of water, and my pie. Then I went home to help cook the afternoon's feast. I felt good for having been out and racing, but I don't know that I want to do a race that large again. When I go to a race, I want to go as fast as I can on that particular day, and not have to do so much of a bob and weave. Heck, I have a hard enough time going fast without that!  Jay
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