Sunday, January 08, 2006
Weary Traveler Road Race 4.95 miles, Bourne, MA
It was one of those set yourself on kill weekends. I do it just to see how I feel at the end.
All week I was preoccupied with the thought of running a 14 mile training run on Saturday then racing on Sunday. So I start the week with:
running 5.5 miles through the hills of Belmont (Smellmont – to the local delinquents)
9.2 miles on the recumbent stationary bike at level 16 (max setting) on Tuesday,
5 on Wednesday, then snowboarding all night at Wachusett. I used to run occasionally to keep in shape for snowboarding, now this running thing has taken an ugly twist. I refuse to give up snowboarding though. It’s exhilarating to rifle down the hill at an utterly dangerous rate of speed.
Thursday: rained,
Friday: rest.
At 7:15am Clayton Gardner and Cindy Conley were at Abington Woodsdale School Saturday morning. We did the 3.27 mile Tuesday night loop plus some and back at 8am for the official start of the Saturday Training runs. Then 10 miles with Cedric Barr, Chris, The Richards: Ghiorse Jr. Sr., Teresa, Sue and Tom Yellope. We ran 9 flat per mile and I barley made it back home.
I haven’t run a distance over 6 miles since the Old Fashioned 10 Miler last February. Crashed on the couch till 2 then tried to get another PC running on my wireless house network, No thanks to Patel at Netgear customer service in India, still doesn’t work. Watched “A Love song for Bobby Long” John Travolta’s first good roll in a long while.
In bed by 9. Up at 6am, breakfast of toast, coffee and Advil, read how the Patriots creamed the Jaguars, then pick up Dave Malliaros to drive down to Bourne with THE WHO, LIVE AT LEEDS CD blasting –my choice for best Rock Album ever.
Made it by 9:30 with the snow falling. I skid past the turn up the hill to the start. “This’ll be a treat to run in” I tell Dave. As we drive in I spy “the orange one”: Jim DuPont and Pete Buhl, mastermind behind GPS #6, slumped in his car, swearing softly, gesturing obscenely to me as I pass by. Inside the RAT Pete Wallan, is waiting. No sooner than I say hello Fred Gladu walks by and startles the crap out of both of us. Fred was last seen two years ago dying a slow death at mile 2 at the East End 5 miler in Lowell – The start of GPS #5. Hank Gediman is there, Tom StraQ, the list goes on. A middling turn out since the host club, Cape Cod Athletic Club is having one of their famous races with exotic post race parties that are hard to pass up.
At the start it’s turned to rain. I line up with Dupe knowing full well his pace will cause damage. The organizer says his thing and we’re off. Mile one is a downhill 7:23, miles two, three and four twist and turn through residential streets: 7:32’s and back uphill trailing behind a determined to kick my ass pace Dupe at a leisurely 8:00 to finish at 38:34. I’m here to tell you about it, so it wasn’t too bad. Have to try (die) harder next time.