Saturday, March 25, 2006

Today's Races - 2006-03-25

I somehow got myself signed up into yet another race series: the Ohio Challenge Series again, after a couple year hiatus. (Last year it was the Hermes Race Series.) This joining was with the hopes that it would make me faster. Based on experience from prior years, as well as today, perhaps the opposite is true.

The Strongsville Super Saturday 1-Mile and 5-K was in the series. They allow you to run both races for only $2 over the regular $15 fee, so of course I considered the cost per mile and signed for both. Only the 5-K counted towards the race series.

So wouldn’t you know it? My better race turned out to be the 1-mile. Finishing in 5:36, my best in years (my only in years), I immediately wondered if it was short. Who knows. But it felt good to run fast and strong (there in Strongsville) the whole way. I was probably about 10th overall, with a smattering of high school punks and other fast guys ahead of me. All in all, pretty good going.

Then came the 5-K. I was hopeful that I could continue that fast running stuff… But it didn’t happen. I finished in 19:43. About a minute slower than I feel like I should be. At least I finished fairly well.

Got 2nd in my AG for the 1-mile. The guy who looked like he might be in my AG was, and he just beat me by a little. In the 5-K, I battled the same guy (who undoubtedly was also taking advantage of the favorable miles per dollar), only to come up short again. And he only wound up third in our AG, so I was out of the money for that one.

So the 5-K was a disappointment, but then, it’s only a 5-K…

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