Second day travel ride caught up with me and I slept in.
But I made up for it with some evening fun.
I asked Timko a few weeks ago, what runs I should do while out here. “Race this” was a part of his reply. Four miles from the hotel I am in? XC in a low key fashion? Recommended by Rob? No problem.
I’d say no sweat but with a near 90 degree night in NJ humidity at the start, that would be a bold face lie. I looked like I had gone for a swim after my warm up.
I buzzed over after getting done at the office, and doing a quick turn around at the hotel. The race was advertised to start at 6:45, with registration at 6. I got there at 5:50 and found a person ready to register me old quickly at 5:50. Shortly afterwards, a buzz of about 75 folks began to mill in.
I quickly realized that this was going to be a handicapped start affair. The registrar had noticed I had not run the series before and put me down to start at 6:45. I noticed on other bibs, there were folks starting at different times, and was able to determine that the general thought was were all supposed to finish at 7:15. That meant I was signed up for a 30 minute 5k.
Not wanting to be that guy that was sweating his arse off but also bagging the handicap, I found “Rick” who was obviously the RD and the course marker (He had a can or orange chalk marking in his hand). We chatted a bit and he asked me what I thought my finish time would be.
Umm, fair question since I brought it up. Lots of quick calculations: tired because of Pikes, hot and humid, cross course I have yet to see, travel weary … uh, how about 20 minutes as 6:20s ought to be okay? He of course didn’t care and set me up as such.
I jogged the course then to see what I was getting into. Green, humid, various track, fairly flat but with some quick short deceptive hills to throw you off - sort of like the old Wickham Park of home a lifetime ago.
I then jogged up the hill on my warm up out of the park and found the old now closed psychiatric hospital. It is scary enough to be the scene of a real life haunted house.
Back down to the start and watched the milling of people and the start of folks as the stagger timed through.
I think this might have been the second staggered start race I have run ever. I can’t say I am huge fan of it. I know some folks like the idea of mowing down the people they have ahead of them. That is certainly motivating in the moment, but it is sort of also demotivating to not be racing the folks directly around you. Just different, I guess.
But in any case, I got out with a crew of guys who were all at that 20 minute mark. They bolted hard ahead of me for about a half mile and then came back. I worked my way through folks for the rest of the race, and got caught by one guy who plowed past me in the first 600 yards.
I ran pretty even – right around 6:15 pace for the first couple of miles. I knew I was not operating at top capacity, but it was no walk in the park either. Legs were heavy and I was working. I slowed a bit on the second loop and saw the pace start to itch up towards 6:25 average but rallied across the last half mile to bring it back to a 19:30 finish. Silly fun.
Of course, while I was finishing, there was almost all of us finishing. That is the intent with the staggered start. That is sort of cool. Different but cool.
I jogged with the kid who passed me for a bit of a warm down and then I noticed beer coming out. The RD (Rick, who knew exactly who Timko was and details of what was going on in his life) was putting up a beer mile as this was their last race in the park this season. Did I want in? Sure – I have never done one before, and the circumstances set up well for it – why not?
Rick even provided the brew. We got about 10 folks to agree to do it, and then there were a few relay teams (okay, all fun). Okay – an XC race, and then a beer mile? WTF not (W is for why)?
Okay – so beer mile. First, while I thought I could put a beer away pretty quick, there are apparently dudes who SUCK the beer out faster than it goes down just via a chug. This guy who was easily 280 was out of the gate in like 5 seconds. I was about half way through my first beer. I was probably about 6th off the line after the first beer.
Second – I was not running hard. Frankly I didn’t want to after the 5k, and with 12 ounces, and then 24, and then … well you get the idea. I was running steady but this was no crazy ass running on the splits. Some dudes who I smoked in the 5k were running WAY faster than they had in the 5k.
Third – this is less about the running then you might think. I got to the third beer and was like, “uh, okay I rather not really do this.” I mean I was looking at my belly and it was already visibly starting to distend. The fourth beer took me in a good long while.
Splits – 24.8 on the first beer. 1:40 on the first quarter. 48.5 on the second beer. 1:44 on the second quarter. 68.1 on the third beer. 1:46.7 on the third quarter. 96.6 on the last beer and 88.2 on the last quarter.
On the last stretch, a NJ chick named Virginia who had been drink 10 ounce summertime Coors beer started coming by me and talking shit so I had to actually kick to get it in. She had me for a bit but I suddenly forgot the 48 ounces of beer in my gut and mustered past her.
Of course when I finished (10:38), I felt like I wanted to burp hurl to all heaven and hell but that never happened. It is a pretty jacked feeling of expelling gas up, the pukey feeling on the back of the mouth, but not actually getting there. I can only imagine how crappy this would be if I really ran it hard. No rush to do this again, but I won’t refuse it if it comes up.
But good fun though.
Some dude popped a 7:48 on it. Impressive. I have a new respect for this nut bag event. I can’t think of a time in my life in the last 20 years where I downed 4 beers in 10 minutes. Maybe 2. For sure. Possibly 3. Probably not. Definitely no way 4.
Finished out with 2 miles to warm down. 10.3 on the day.
