Preliminary Race Results

It stopped snowing for the race and the parade, but the wind was still about 10-15 mph from the west (the route was due west, thanks). The temperature had leveled off around 35, but I think it had dropped before the race was over. Then my wife and I watched the parade for about an hour, but we were pretty well frozen and left before it ended. My race entry got me in to see several of the pipe bands afterwards - pretty cool stuff.

The race was small, only about 50 entries, but there were also only two age divisions - young/high school and old/non-high school. Strangely, it seemed that there weren't too many "old" guys in front of me, although I couldn't see very well what with the wind in my face and all. I was getting warmed up OK, but you definitely cool off fast in those conditions. So I had to keep my fingers crossed that I wouldn't pull anything or blow a gasket by going too fast. Here's the interesting thing - even though I knew where all the quarter-mile points were, I FORGOT MY WATCH.

So I was going out pretty hard, and got worried that I was sucking wind around 1/2 mile, but it leveled off and I was able to pass several people, settling in behind one runner. I don't think I passed anyone in the last quarter, and since the whole thing was a sprint, I couldn't kick. But I finished, upright and under my own power, and commenced to cooling down again. Since I didn't hear a time called when I finished, I asked the guy who was in front of me if he had a time, and he said...




something I couldn't believe...




remember my solid goal of 7:40?...




and my total outside goal of 7:30?...




This guy says "about 6:45."




Even if I was ten seconds behind him, I still came in under 7:00. Into the wind. In the freezing cold. Which would be really great. Now let's see how long it takes the club to get the results posted. I'm also wondering how I did against the "old" age-groupers - there really weren't that many in front of me. Although the guys running with their shirts off in mock kilts might have been out of high school. Damn... at this age, college students are definitely looking like high schoolers.