I ran the Gasparilla 15k today, and it was kind of a beautiful race.
The start is in downtown Tampa by the convention center, a simple out and back on Bayshore Blvd. I ran into Coach Joe on my warmup. Being 76, Joe's hearing isn't what it used to be, and I hear like a 76 year old myself. Our conversations are often short, but we understand each other well. "Headwind on the way back," Joe noted, but quickly added: "Same for everyone."
No worries on my end, and it was true. Of the 9 times I've run on Gasparilla weekend, it has either been unseasonably humid or cool/windy, and I'll take the latter anytime.
The starting line looked pretty stacked this year. Many Forerunners and other friends around, and the race went out even quicker than usual. Once the dust settled, I found myself in 14th place. Several guys I wanted to run with were ahead of me, but I came through the first mile in 5:22, which was about 5 seconds faster than planned, so I didn't rush. The pace felt relaxed, and I knew we were running with a good tailwind.
I passed a teammate around the first mile, then worked my way up to a group of three runners just ahead, one of them my training partner, Lee Stephens. I caught the group around mile 2, and hoped we'd continue together, but they were slowing slightly, so I just focused on maintaining pace. The next 4 miles were all around 5:26 and felt comfortable, with no changes in position.
At the start of mile 6 we were turning north onto Bayshore. Somewhere around here I passed one guy, and was passed by another. We got our first taste of the headwind, and it didn't feel bad. I was running a very good race, and was cautiously optimistic I'd break 51 handily.
Bayshore has long, gradual bends, and the headwinds in miles 6 and 7 were at worst 45 degrees. Unfortunately, around mile 8 we turned again and I hit the headwind full on now. I ran about 5:48 for this mile, and gave back my entire sub-51 buffer, and then some.
Coming into the last mile, I was dazed, and didn't fully register the footsteps behind me. Lee's voice jolted me so hard I would have jumped, if I wasn't so tired. "Come on Drew, you've still got plenty in the tank."
I've never thought of the right words to say when I come up on another runner in a race, and I've never been particularly inspired by the comments of others. Not that I dislike the attempts at encouragement, but the standard "Good job" doesn't really cut it as you are getting passed.
Lee knows me well though, and he did get me fired up. He was right. We had turned out of the wind again, and I could still give more. What truly touched me though, was that it was completely apparent Lee wanted me to run my best. If he had cared more about beating me, he would have blown by - maybe that would have got me going, or just as likely, I would have been demoralized and slowed even more. I took Lee's words to heart and began pushing hard again. I knew I could come very close to breaking 51 minutes, and I was running as hard as I could.
Right around here, I heard Richie before I could see him. He has a bullhorn for a voice, and is the best cheerleader I've ever met. He was running on the sidewalk of Bayshore parallel to Lee and myself, shouting "Alright Drew, you're looking OK! Keep it up! Lee- close the gap! Close the f--- gap!!" I ran harder.
Just after the 9 mile mark, I saw Mike and his girlfriend cheering and holding up signs. Mike's read: "Drew - don't get lost!" I had a moment of existential panic - how could he know?! - then I realized he was referring to my well-earned reputation for running off course. It was refreshing to smile at that point.
I crossed in 51:04, 10th place this year. I wish I didn't tank quite so badly in mile 8, but I also realize that my first four miles were wind-aided, so you figure you have to pay the piper at some point. It would have been great to be in the top 5 local finishers, but truly, I'd rather this race have a great field, and this year was much better than last.
I lowered my 15k PR by about 55 seconds, didn't lose to anyone over 30, and had a finishing time that may be my best performance yet. But what made today special was seeing the true goodness in many people, in particular a few friends. That just doesn't happen every day, especially in middle-age, out of college, when people tend to hunker down and establish emotional distance. I need to remember all the things my running community has given me, to be sure to return it as I can.
Splits:
- 5:22
- 5:26
- 5:25
- 5:26
- 5:26
- 5:27
- 5:25
- 5:48
- 5:26
- -- .3 1:53 (5:17 pace)
| 