Reality Check

So, I'm 60. I thought this running thing was supposed to be a piece of cake. New bracket. New kid on the block. Thin competition. No injuries. Quality training. More miles. Faster times.

Wrong!

Ever since I rose to meet my 2013 personal challenge to run a sub 7-minute mile 5K in late April/early May I've been backsliding. Wallowing in mediocrity. Not where I want to be. Seems I've fallen into a chasm of 7:30-ish finishes, culminating in a 7:45 Niantic Bay 10K this past Friday evening. Really?

What went wrong?

Poor discipline. Pure and simple. I've backed down on quality easy long runs and been inconsistent with scheduling  speed intervals and hill workouts. This is probably due in part to an inner disappointment with my performances over the last several weeks (Delaney Dash 7:11 4-miler not withstanding). I had hoped that scheduling a bunch of races in a short period of time would force me to train at a higher level of effort, but instead it has had a reverse effect. Perhaps this can be attributed partly to my tender advanced age (lol) but realistically, I have to put the whole picture in perspective. I'm too freaking undisciplined. Time to get back on track. Back to basics. Up my weekly mileage to 30+. Hill repeats. Trail runs. VO2 max threshold intervals. Road bike sprints as time alows. Maybe a hike or two with Mike Crutchley on his portion of the Narragansett Blue Blazed Trail?

Niantic Bay 10K

Actually, I'm being a little hard on myself. Considering I ran the Jamestown Bridge 10K and the Niantic Bay 10K both at a 7:45, I didn't really backslide. In fact, unlike Jamestown, I ran negative splits in the Niantic Bay. I decided to not run the St. Catherine's race the evening before in Preston, as I thought it would compromise any effort for a good showing at Niantic. Thursday afternoon in the Pfizer fitness center I dreadmilled a Raunig ladder of short 100M intervals between a 9-minute pace and a 5:10 pace with full recovery in between to get my legs juiced with a 90-100 cycles per minute turnover. I felt really good after, as I usually do. This feeling held right into race evening.

I coordinated arrival with Suzan: I from work in Groton and she from home practically next door in Niantic. We'd meet in the McCook's Beach parking lot, then I'd do the race day registration thing, look for friends and chissy-chat a little, then do a 5-minute warmup a few minutes before race start. Right away Mike Crutchley spotted me while with some friends and I gave him a hard time about being clean shaven, aerodynamic, etc. The omnipresent and always smiling Beth Lazor-Smith was there. Talked with Bob Buckingham a little about his ultra experiences. Paul Gray was there. Saw Dave Jacobs for the 1st time in forever (what's up with that Dave??? Used to see you running on Giant's Neck Road almost every morning... Another 60-something with discipline issues? Sure... Dream on Don...). The two WTAC Jeffs: Walker and Vuono. Always top contenders. Not surprisingly, Niantic neighbor Bill Ghio was in attendance (is there a race in the State of CT Bill doesn't run?).

Interesting aside: Jeff Vuono and Bob Buckingham are two individuals I've come to associate with high-volume road biking. I'd met Jeff for the 1st time a number of years ago when I ran my 1st Waterford Week 5 miler in 2007. When I spotted Jeff, he was tending to logistics with his road bike, which it turned out he'd rode to Waterford from Westerly to run the race! One of several in his bike stable I seem to recall him telling me. Bob B commutes on his bike to work at Pfizer in Groton from his home in New London when possible. Given their usual standings in the race results, maybe there's something to be said about regular cross-training that warrants my attention?

Notably missing in action were Mike Boumenot (who would have added depth to the WTAC "murderer's row" top 10 finish compliment), Clem McGrath (whom I later chatted with Sunday evening at a Mohegan Sun women's game against Seattle) and my neighbor (and, although he probably wouldn't admit it, outstanding, talented runner) Al Litwin, who I thought would surprise me by throwing his hat in the ring along with Bill Shea. I believe a number of runners who didn't run Niantic had likely elected to hold off for the Branford Road Race on Sunday.

I lined up fairly close to the starting line after warming up and trading "good luck" wishes with friends. At the gun, I knew almost instantly I didn't have the juice for a good effort, completely contrary to what I anticipated based on warmups. The head of the pack that was pulling away was large... about 60+. I felt like it was going to be one of those completely enigmatic efforts on my part. Mike Crutchley and Paul Gray pushed out ahead. Dave Jacobs took off like a shot. At age 68, he never ceases to amaze me. I decided to do something completely different... back the pace down to a slow start and see if my legs became energized. The mile 1 support staff barked out "7:59!!!" That slow? I was still being passed. Down on the Old Black Point Road flat I was passed by Bob Buckingham and Dave Blair, both of whom made me look like I was standing still. I found some solace in recognizing that they, too, had started slow and picked it up.

About 1.5 miles in I settled in with a mixed pack of multi-aged runners, both male and female, mostly in their 20's and 30's. I started to get in a groove. I started to pass folks in front of me, but I felt this was more due to them slowing down than me speeding up. My pace seemed pretty consistent and my oxygen uptake well-controlled. I felt that if I held this pace, even though I didn't know what it was...) I'd have a good shot at getting stronger on the downhill finish if I could hold pace up the only real hill on the entire course about 1.5 miles from race end.

Nearing the "lolipop" at the end of the "out" portion of the out and back course, suddenly the race leaders emerged behind the East Lyme police car. I recognized the leader as WTAC's Johnathan Hammett but didn't know who the guy in 2nd place was. Jeff Walker was 3rd. After that, I was in the lolipop and couldn't see placements ahead of me. Except for Dave Jacobs, whom I focused on as my "rabbit" thereafter. He was still a good 300 yards+ ahead of me.

It was about this time that an interesting dynamic began to unfold that definitely played a part in how I performed for the remaining 3 miles of the race. I heard a woman grunting loudly, nipping on my heels. Some imperative inside told me "That's it!... No more being passed!" I turned it on a little to prevent her from going past me, especially around a couple sharp corners in the lolipop during which it seemed she was right on my butt. On the Old Black Point Road straightaway she stayed right behind me. Then as we neared the beginning of the hill, we were joined by a guy who, judging from *his* grunting, was under age 30. But I really didn't know... I never turned around to have a look at either of them.

The hill was the deal maker. I fended them both off and held for the stretch all the way to the finish, passing about 3 other runners along the way. I did my utmost to focus on my form and pacing (to try to salvage something out of this lackluster perfomance, if nothing else). After peaking over the top of the hill and recognizing those behind me who were close had fallen back, I focused on Dave, who definitely slowed down on the hill. The gap had narrowed significantly. I picked it up in the last half mile, as I always try my best to do. I closed on Dave as we neared the finish. I heard those grunters behind me! I think something primal kicked in after that and I stuck it in overdrive. I had a monster kick. Felt like I was doing a 5-something. But them it was over, right as I was on top of Dave as we entered the chute. He finished less than a second ahead of me. Way Hedding was on the SNERRO blower, announcing the neck and neck tight finish of the two 60-somethings! It was pretty exciting, even though I was unable to ultimately catch Dave but being able to hold off the grunters! Turns out the guy was one second behind me and the woman was 5 seconds behind him. He was 42-year-old Brian Hickey; She was 37-year-old Ashley Dickinson. WTAC had 4 finishers in the top 10. Just amazing. In the end, however, I truly believe we all gave it our best effort. I congratulated Mike Crutchley on an excellent effort. He'd finished a good 2 minutes ahead, along with it seemed just about everyone else I knew :-)  We greeted Beth as she finished with our cameras and snapped her in a victory pose.

It was a very rewarding moment for a 60-something who seemingly had felt like an also ran only a few minutes before. It was funny to get 1st place in the 60-64 division as one of only two participants. Had there been a 60-69 division I would have finished 2nd behind Dave.

Saturday was a day off. Lounged at Giant's Neck Heights Beach Association beach. It was a beautiful day.

Sunday, I ran long with Al Litwin. 10 miles, all outside of Rocky Neck State Park, which for us is very unusual. Starting at Al's house, we ran down the backside of Giant's Neck Heights, up Giant's Neck Road, up North Bridebrook, onto Rt 1 East, onto Dean Road, onto West Society Road, then back down to the beach on North Bridebrook and Giant's Neck Roads.

Next race is the Harwich 5K in Harwich Port, MA on Saturday, which I'll be running after staying with my sister Barb for a couple days in Truro.

6.2 on Friday; 10 on Sunday. Halfway to 30+ in three days.

I think I'm almost back on track already.