SumoRunner
Well-known member
The Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot is traditionally the end of the racing season around here and it went out with a bang for this runner. Third place in the 60-69 age group at the 3.5 mile City of Cohoes TT. I finished 2 minutes faster than last year (and last year's course was short by about 100 yards) in 32:15 (9:13/mile). That might have won the age group outright the last several years but this race has gotten more popular recently, from 75 people two years ago, 150 last year, 300 this year.
Best of all I was 5 or 10 seconds ahead of the guy who beat me in the last 5K we ran. He started closer to the front and I had some catching up to do but passed him before reaching mile 1. Then came the hill, mile 2 is all uphill and I knew I couldn't allow him to reel me back in so I kept pressing on the hill until it hurt. The great thing about this race though is that from mile 2 on in to 3.5 is a long gradual downhill. You can let out all the stops which is why I knew I could push so hard up the hill. It just barely held him off. I never looked back but I knew he would be there since our last few races have been very close. I heard footsteps coming on with 100 yards to go and I was so afraid it was him I pressed even harder. It wasn't him but he was indeed trying to close in, just not enough. Damn, what a great way to end a great year. This will go down as the best year I've ever had in athletics.
... until 2010.
Best of all I was 5 or 10 seconds ahead of the guy who beat me in the last 5K we ran. He started closer to the front and I had some catching up to do but passed him before reaching mile 1. Then came the hill, mile 2 is all uphill and I knew I couldn't allow him to reel me back in so I kept pressing on the hill until it hurt. The great thing about this race though is that from mile 2 on in to 3.5 is a long gradual downhill. You can let out all the stops which is why I knew I could push so hard up the hill. It just barely held him off. I never looked back but I knew he would be there since our last few races have been very close. I heard footsteps coming on with 100 yards to go and I was so afraid it was him I pressed even harder. It wasn't him but he was indeed trying to close in, just not enough. Damn, what a great way to end a great year. This will go down as the best year I've ever had in athletics.
... until 2010.