Fall racing season ends

[SumoRunner]

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.

 

[dick0236]

. Damn, what a great way to end a great year. This will go down as the best year I've ever had in athletics.

....and who says that OHS has to slow you down. Congrats on a great season.

 

[Guest]

You have had a great year indeed. Congratulations to a fine finish.

 

[kodi]

Congratulations on the TT and the successful year of running. I sometimes wonder which is worse, being chased down or have to chase someone to the end.

 

[spartangator]

Wow, what a finish to the year! Hope that success drives some great off-season training for your strong start to 2010.

 

[Mark Wagner]

Congratulations on a great year. I love the Turkey Trot they have here in the Tacoma, Washington area at Norpoint. Unfortunately, the marathon was 4 days later so I had to pass it up.

Something many of you do not know, I fell at work back in March of this year, and bled internally in my left leg. I spent 5 days in the hospital. In recovery at home I started out in a wheel chair, then a walker, then crutches, and last a cane. I was on pain killers during the entire time, and really had quite a time getting coming off of them. In the middle of June I laced up my running shoes again and headed out the door. To have run this marathon last Sunday means much to me on a personal trial. My brother said when he looked at me with that cane, in his mind he thought I would never run again. I give God the glory, and like you look forward to the challanges of 2010. "Bring on the rain."

 

[SumoRunner]

I fell at work back in March of this year, and bled internally in my left leg.

You mean like this?

Oh no, I guess not. That's a right leg. I did that running a mile on the track in July 2008. Spent a couple weeks on crutches too. I tore up the calf pretty bad but it was just a minor setback. I was doing road races again that fall.

 

[Mark Wagner]

What's my leg doing in your picture?

 

[Alex B]

very nice indeed. I established my 5k time at 37:00 10 weeks post-op. My last run brought that down to 32:00, I'm hoping to break the 30min barrier before 2010...

 

[SumoRunner]

I'm running very slowly these days, but keeping the mileage up. I was laid low by the swine flu for a week but came right back to about 4 miles a day on my treadmill. It's been too cold outside lately. Just 20 miles more and I will top 1,200 for the year, my highest annual mileage sine 1990 which was the year before AVR.

Halfway through this morning's run I passed 33,000 miles lifetime. (BTW: The circumference of Earth is 24,901.6 miles at mean sea level on the equator.) I've been keeping a running log since 1978 so that represents about 1100 miles per year for 32 years. I had run about 15,000 miles prior to AVR and 18,000 since. Far more with the valve than without.

 

[SumoRunner]

Since I don't plan on running tomorrow, here's my year end wrap-up. I've put it all in a few previous posts but here it is all together. 09 has been a banner year for me topping a banner year in 08.

I ended the year with 1200 miles, the highest total since 1990, the year before my aortic valve replacement. That brings my lifetime total to over 33,000 miles (1.3 times around the virtual globe).

I ran 33 races in 2009 from 800 meters to 10 miles. The most in any prior year was 24 and that doesn't even count the 10 shot put events at various T&F meets.

I had an all-time best throw in the shot put and for a very short time was nationally ranked in the Men's 60-64 top 50. Ended up at #141 in shot put and #91 at 800 meters.

I finished in the top 10 of my age group in the local road runner's club grand prix series. The first time I even appeared in the standings.

A 1 mile time of 8:00 was my best since 1999. 5K of 27:25 best since 1995 and 15K of 1:36:06 the best since 1996 and since turning 60 have accumulated a wall full of trophies.