Shelly and I got to ride a bus together early this morning to get to the start line of my races today.
It sure reminded me of Boston, where all runners have to load up on school buses. From there it is about a 40 minute ride to the start in Hopkinton.
This morning was much better. It was a shorter ride and I had my princess by my side.
I did the math
I wasn't sure which shoes to wear for my races today. I had a
5K and then two hours later a 10K. Should I go for the lightweight
racing flats, or the all-around shoes with more orange? That
was a tough call. Lighter weight or more orange? Ultimately, I
made the right choice. I know. I did the math.
I think I should trademark that as my catchphrase. "I did the math".
You know, just like Arnold's "I'll be back," Joey's "How you doin?,"
or Urkel's "Did I do that?"
More and more I find myself saying it, "I did the math."
- We can't yet afford to retire. I did the math.
- Our business has to be mindful of cash flow when expanding operations. I did the math.
- The first lottery ticket has value, it buys the dream. Any extra tickets are worthless. I did the math.
I went with more orange.
Race
Today was one of those unique races, or in this case two. It is groundhog
day and I ran the Groundhog Run in Kansas City. It is a unique venue,
underground in the business park built into the 270 million year old
limestone cave system. Get it, groundhog day, groundhog run, racing
underground.
The first race was a 5K. I haven't run a 5K in years so this was sure to
be a personal record (PR) for my age group. I'm not as far along in my
quest for NYC as I hoped, so I was going to have to be happy with a modest
goal here. I am getting faster, but I'm getting faster slow. My goal was 25
minutes for this race. I finished in 24.37, or 7:57 per mile. That
was good enough for third in my age group of 52 old guys. I was also 138th
overall out of a 1768 runners. That was a much bigger turnout than I expected.
Two hours after the 5K was the start of the 10K. I knew I would be
drained from the earlier race but I underestimated just how much. I thought
I could finish in about 53 but ended up at 55:18. I still ended up third
again in my age group; this time against only 16 old guys.
Coaching Change
The only previous time I ran a combined 5K and 10K double race was in
Indianapolis in 2013.
That was the day I met my long time nutrition coach. He stresses
the importance of fueling my training, all about the carb loading he is.
I am going to have to get my weight down further though if I want to reach
my goal time and qualify for NYC. That is my limiting factor, not my
age or my training. My problem (still) is eating.
So, I think I may fire this coach for giving me bad advice.
Second breakfast isn't really a thing, is it?
The Lucky Man
While in KC, Shelly and I celebrated our 39th anniversary.
Once again I told her that I am more than just a lucky man. I am the lucky man. I say that
regularly. She always seems skeptical when I say it and each
time I assure her that it is true.
I did the math.
