Fast Fourth

Mrs. VT Runner, a few old friends and I ran the Hingham 4th of July road race yesterday, and we all had a ball. The race is a 4.6 miler (6K) straight down Main Street in Hingham -- very picturesque and mostly downhill. It's my favorite race of the year and the one that I most often visualize when I hit the wall on other runs or during other races. Old friends cheer at various points along the route, the kids and their grandparents are always stationed at the halfway point, and almost every section brings back a childhood/adolescent memory. It's all very cool.

This year was even better for a couple of reasons. The weather was an absolutely perfect 70 degrees with no wind and a few clouds. Mrs. VT Runner pulled it together after spraining her ankle and had a great run -- a personal best time for her! And I ran what was perhaps my best race ever.

As I've reported here, I ran the Burlington Marathon about 4 weeks ago, so I'm in decent running shape (for me). I took the notion of post-race downtime seriously, running maybe 3 times in the last month and for no more than 4 miles each run. I had a hunch that the marathon training and month-long recovery would put me in good shape for the race, but I really didn't know what to expect. It turns out the timing was perfect. I started at the front of the pack, which I never do, and didn't get completely shot out the back. The course seemed to disappear under foot, mile by mile as well-known landmarks breezed by. I pushed, but never felt completely taxed or overextended. Most importantly, I had fun.

Here are the numbers:
4.6 miles
31:38 minutes
6:53 pace
Place overall: 98/1726
Place in age group (30-39): 25/493
Place in gender: 86/937 men

I was pleasantly surprised with the results (Ok, that's an understatement. I was stoked!). I knew my time was good for me, but it was cool to see that the time was fast relative to the other runners. I've never been in the top 10%, never mind the top 5%.

Went out for a 4-5 miler today with a colleague, and it felt effortless. I know that the running enthusiasm tide will turn soon (always does), so I'm enjoying this "up" in a training process that is by definition "up and down." I hope the good vibe helps you guys on your next run/ride. I know posts on this site have helped me get out the door on more than one occasion. And really, it's all about getting out there where anything can happen... and good stuff usually does.