Let's start right off with the Garmin results.
Ok, now that you've had a moment to review them, consider the total distance - 13.29 miles. Hmm. Garmins notoriously under report distance on a run. This one is nearly two tenths over. How could that be?
Corral W.
I started in Corral W. That's fourth from the end, and let me tell you, I could see the end very clearly. I got there as the gun went off for the race (a long trek to the end of the start!), but I need not have hurried - we didn't move for several minutes. In fact, it took 24 minutes to cross the start line. That left a heap of people, chiefly walkers, between me and the finish line.
I briefly considered attempting to be the very last person to cross the start. Why not? I knew I couldn't make any serious time. Why not go for the whole experience. Then, just as quickly, it struck me that out of 34,000 runners, I couldn't be the only one to have the same thought. The image of me fighting it out with someone else over the privilege of being last seemed too absurd even for me, so I pressed forward.
As we nudged in fits in starts towards the start, two ladies behind me called to me, "You obviously don't belong in this corral. How did you wind up here?" Now part of me wants to think they were looking at my ample calves to make their assessment, as it does seem to be the measure of a man anymore. I'm not sure. I would at best describe myself as non-descript in that particular group - no one around me was overly obese or old - so I don't know by what measure I was judged. I played it down, stating I didn't get my time in (technically true; I was under Steve Black), and normally I would be forward.
"How forward?", she pressed.
"A."
There were other comments after that, I downplayed the whole deal, but yeah, it was an ego boost per se to be picked out of a crowd that way. Especially sinceI don't see myself like that.
I thought maybe I would have a shot at spotting Dan during the race. His yellow hair and height combination would at least give me a chance, if I could properly judge where I might come upon him. This was tricky, because it hinged on when and if he should begin walking. His plan was to walk after 3, then run/walk the rest of the way. Judging by our relative starts, I figured (accurately as it turned out) he had between a 15-20 minute head start on me. If he ran all the way and maintained a 9-minute average and I maintained an 8-minute average, I wouldn't catch him at all. If I could be 1.5 minutes per mile faster, I would catch him in the last few miles, assuming he didn't walk. If he walked, I could pass him anytime after about 5 miles.
I looked for a while. After about 5 miles the serious searching stopped. The crowd was the main reason. The crowd was thick enough my first zig-zag mile was 8:30ish. How bad was it? My Garmin tripped long before the mile marker came up. Ask yourself, "when's the last time my Garmin hit a mile before the mile mark?" Answer? Never. Garmins always measure short. I was doing some serious overdistance to get that kind of result. It never changed for the entire race.
Sure, I would scan the crowd every now and then when I would get a break, but more often than not I had to keep my eyes on the ground right in front of me. There were too many people around to get lazy about my positioning.
Morgan and Jake were out there too, both on their first mini-marathons. I would have loved to have stumbled upon them, to join them, but it would have only been through the wildest luck it could have happened.
Turns out I passed all of them, probably on the track based on our finishing times. I finished in 1:43:48 (unofficial), Dan in 2:17 and change, Morgan and Jake in 2:21 or so. I was at the Indiana Running Co. tent for around 10 minutes before Dan walked up. We were there another half hour before Jake and Morgan showed up, but they had been slightly lost for a bit. The great news was all three of them ran the entire race, totally unexpected given the injuries and interruption to training all experienced.
I will cop to two heinous acts of Tom Foolery perpetrated by one Steve Black on today's course. Twice he knelt to the ground, much to the horror of the crowd. First came the bricks on the track. Steve had been watching the jumbo-tron, and noted the men doing push-ups on the bricks. He decided then and there to do something different. So, upon arrival and after checking for a clear spot, dropped to the ground and log-rolled across the bricks. The second time was the finish. Once again, after checking for a spot, he hit the ground and rolled across the finish. Should make for a great finish photo!
I did manage to see Miller, Roy, Jimmy, and Denny before they had to leave. Jimmy did not make the 1:30 (would have been surprised if he had), which is kind of sad because we've both done it for so many years. Guess that training thing I once heard about works? I didn't get any other details before they were gone.
There were many other Bedford and Bedford-area runners there, and it seemed all were universal in the feeling it had been a great day. Many had PR's, including Sandra, Charity, Arlene, Danny Leach, and a few others I can't recall at the moment. I would have liked to stay longer, but we were all under dressed and starving, so we left.
Dan, Morgan, Jake, and I drove down to Bloomington and grabbed lunch at Buchetti's(sp?). Three Chicken Badda-Bings and a specialty calzone later (courtesy of Dan Dyke) and all were satisfied. It was a perfectly lovely experience from beginning to end, and though I had dreaded the event all week, I'm so glad I went.
Ok, now that you've had a moment to review them, consider the total distance - 13.29 miles. Hmm. Garmins notoriously under report distance on a run. This one is nearly two tenths over. How could that be?
Corral W.
I started in Corral W. That's fourth from the end, and let me tell you, I could see the end very clearly. I got there as the gun went off for the race (a long trek to the end of the start!), but I need not have hurried - we didn't move for several minutes. In fact, it took 24 minutes to cross the start line. That left a heap of people, chiefly walkers, between me and the finish line.
I briefly considered attempting to be the very last person to cross the start. Why not? I knew I couldn't make any serious time. Why not go for the whole experience. Then, just as quickly, it struck me that out of 34,000 runners, I couldn't be the only one to have the same thought. The image of me fighting it out with someone else over the privilege of being last seemed too absurd even for me, so I pressed forward.
As we nudged in fits in starts towards the start, two ladies behind me called to me, "You obviously don't belong in this corral. How did you wind up here?" Now part of me wants to think they were looking at my ample calves to make their assessment, as it does seem to be the measure of a man anymore. I'm not sure. I would at best describe myself as non-descript in that particular group - no one around me was overly obese or old - so I don't know by what measure I was judged. I played it down, stating I didn't get my time in (technically true; I was under Steve Black), and normally I would be forward.
"How forward?", she pressed.
"A."
There were other comments after that, I downplayed the whole deal, but yeah, it was an ego boost per se to be picked out of a crowd that way. Especially sinceI don't see myself like that.
I thought maybe I would have a shot at spotting Dan during the race. His yellow hair and height combination would at least give me a chance, if I could properly judge where I might come upon him. This was tricky, because it hinged on when and if he should begin walking. His plan was to walk after 3, then run/walk the rest of the way. Judging by our relative starts, I figured (accurately as it turned out) he had between a 15-20 minute head start on me. If he ran all the way and maintained a 9-minute average and I maintained an 8-minute average, I wouldn't catch him at all. If I could be 1.5 minutes per mile faster, I would catch him in the last few miles, assuming he didn't walk. If he walked, I could pass him anytime after about 5 miles.
I looked for a while. After about 5 miles the serious searching stopped. The crowd was the main reason. The crowd was thick enough my first zig-zag mile was 8:30ish. How bad was it? My Garmin tripped long before the mile marker came up. Ask yourself, "when's the last time my Garmin hit a mile before the mile mark?" Answer? Never. Garmins always measure short. I was doing some serious overdistance to get that kind of result. It never changed for the entire race.
Sure, I would scan the crowd every now and then when I would get a break, but more often than not I had to keep my eyes on the ground right in front of me. There were too many people around to get lazy about my positioning.
Morgan and Jake were out there too, both on their first mini-marathons. I would have loved to have stumbled upon them, to join them, but it would have only been through the wildest luck it could have happened.
Turns out I passed all of them, probably on the track based on our finishing times. I finished in 1:43:48 (unofficial), Dan in 2:17 and change, Morgan and Jake in 2:21 or so. I was at the Indiana Running Co. tent for around 10 minutes before Dan walked up. We were there another half hour before Jake and Morgan showed up, but they had been slightly lost for a bit. The great news was all three of them ran the entire race, totally unexpected given the injuries and interruption to training all experienced.
I will cop to two heinous acts of Tom Foolery perpetrated by one Steve Black on today's course. Twice he knelt to the ground, much to the horror of the crowd. First came the bricks on the track. Steve had been watching the jumbo-tron, and noted the men doing push-ups on the bricks. He decided then and there to do something different. So, upon arrival and after checking for a clear spot, dropped to the ground and log-rolled across the bricks. The second time was the finish. Once again, after checking for a spot, he hit the ground and rolled across the finish. Should make for a great finish photo!
I did manage to see Miller, Roy, Jimmy, and Denny before they had to leave. Jimmy did not make the 1:30 (would have been surprised if he had), which is kind of sad because we've both done it for so many years. Guess that training thing I once heard about works? I didn't get any other details before they were gone.
There were many other Bedford and Bedford-area runners there, and it seemed all were universal in the feeling it had been a great day. Many had PR's, including Sandra, Charity, Arlene, Danny Leach, and a few others I can't recall at the moment. I would have liked to stay longer, but we were all under dressed and starving, so we left.
Dan, Morgan, Jake, and I drove down to Bloomington and grabbed lunch at Buchetti's(sp?). Three Chicken Badda-Bings and a specialty calzone later (courtesy of Dan Dyke) and all were satisfied. It was a perfectly lovely experience from beginning to end, and though I had dreaded the event all week, I'm so glad I went.
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