Race Report: Eagle Run

Ran a great race on what had to have been a long course. My time was 29:46 and I was 10th overall and second in the masters category. Considering the 80% humidity, running only 10 seconds slower than my PR was nothing to complain about... but, I think I may have actually run something more like 29:15. After running my first 3 miles in 6:03, 5:50, 5:50, I suddenly supposedly slowed down to a 6:20 before recouping and finishing in 5:43. Thing is I felt like I was running slightly faster in my last two miles due to my conservative start and I passed three people like they were standing still in that fourth mile. Everyone I talked to had an equally out of whack fourth mile. The winner, Matt Folk from Team Good River, who blazed the course in 25:12 was 5:30 on that mile and he's a low 24 kind of guy.
Anyway, road racing can be a crap shoot. I know I'm in great shape and the training has been going great. Due to my work schedule being less than ideal lately I've been doing about 45 miles a week with a midweek long interval session and a weekend long run of about 12 miles with the last 4-5 @ tempo effort. This seems to be working well for me while I work 45-50 hours a week for the "man".

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Fam 7:41 3K

Last two laps of Fam's 7:41 5K win in the Adidas Track Classic last weekend.

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Way to Go Cleveland!

I had thought about doing this race today as my peak Spring race, but instead opted to sign up for a certified 5 mile race next Saturday. Good call on my part. Looks like a lot of the top runners got directed off the course and ended up running closer to 9 miles instead of 6.2! Below is an account from Cleveland.com, which even got posted on the Drudge Report! Below that is a funny first hand account by 'Thor,' which I found on the Team Good River message board.

Rite Aid Cleveland 10K takes a wrong turn

A wrong turn sent between 200 to 300 runners off course in today's Rite Aid Cleveland 10Krace. So instead of running 6.1 miles some of them ran close to 9 miles. And now the results of the 10K race are in chaos. According to racers and race officials, a police officer at the two-mile mark of the race (see a map of the route) diverted the lead car guiding 10K competitors through the course. Highway cones had been misplaced in the area, and some racers in the Cleveland marathon who were walking the area had also created a bottleneck. So instead of going onto the Shoreway, the car's navigator sent runners through the Flats, tacking on as much as 2.7 miles to the race. Jack Staph, the race's executive director, said he had never seen such a fiasco. Some runners ran less than the extra 2.7 miles, race officials said. It's unlikely to change the outcome of the men's results. However, the women's results and the results for the top-Ohio finishers and masters (runners older than 40), may be altered. Runners in these categories are awarded cash prizes between $100 and $1,500.

A First Hand Account from 'Thor'

For the record (totally telling the truth!), on the "alternative" 10K route I saw a 3-legged dog, 2 condoms (potentially used), a homeless guy with an old-school Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket and I ran past the Larry Flynt Hustler's Club. I think the 10K "mistake" was actually a purposeful attempt to draw potential young, investors into the Flats area. If you look closely, the race organizers have strong ties to some local developers. Screw any race that goes into the Flats!!!! See ya in Columbus for a legitimate 10K in a couple of weeks.

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Ritz takes it to Mottram

In a bit of an upset, Dathan 'Ritz' Ritzenhein handily beat Australian superstar Craig Mottram, who is considered the best non-African distance runner in the world, in NYC's Healthy Kidney 10K run. Ritz's time of 28:08 on the tough Central Park layout is a new course record, landing him a $25,000 bonus in addition to his $7,500 first place earnings. In a classy move, Ritz, who grew up in the Grand Rapids area of Michigan and holds all of my former state's high school distance records, donated $7,500 to the charity that sponsored the race. Another great sign for the resurrection of American distance running!

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The Rifles - No Love Lost

I can't begin to understand why the debut CD by The Rifles still hasn't been picked up by an American label. After hearing three or four of the London group's singles last fall I got around to ordering the full length CD on Amazon and it's well worth the import price. "No Love Lost" is probably the best Britpop album since Oasis' first two records back in 1994/1995. If you're a fan of The Jam and the Clash c. "London Calling," you'll eat this up. Songs like "Local Boy," "She's Got Standards," "Hometown Blues" and "When I'm Alone" are as good as the genre gets. Clocking in at a brisk 36 minutes, you'll want to play this two or three times in a row. This CD has been living in my car.

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Training Update: April 30 - May 13

Nothing too eventful really, just two solid weeks of moderate mileage, including some good quick long runs and a couple of quality long interval sessions with short rest breaks. Last two weeks have been 46 and 47 miles. Felt a little stale the week after the 10 mile race, but I'm feeling pretty good right now. Two weeks to go to until my next race, The Eagle Run 5 miler. Supposed to be a fast course and it's USATF-certified as well. Just got a new pair of trainers, the Nike Zoom Elite 3 and based on today's first workout in them, I like them better than the previous two models. Very lightweight but enough cushion for everyday use.

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