I was not primed and ready for this race. Sleep has been horrible, allergies problematic, and a cold struck Friday afternoon. The only thing I did properly was eat a ton on Friday. The company provided Rumbi for lunch and my niece's 4th birthday party featured spaghetti. Spencer and I drove up, arriving 10 minutes before the start. It was 30 degrees, so I had on too many clothes. I needlessly gave away my age group placement running a slow half the week before Boston, but I wanted to see what I could make up. My legs are still sluggish, so instead of going all out from the start, I started off easy, planning to pick things up for the last 5 or 6 miles. Mile 1: I ran with Amber, a blog newbie. 8:02 Mile 2-12 I ran with Spencer, and a bunch of other guys. We had a group of 6 or 7 guys all clumped together bsing about marathons, OV50, and other race plans. The miles ticked off pretty easy, but by mile 9 it was starting to feel like work. Most of these miles were in the neighborhood of 7:40. At this point, I had a 5 hour energy and started the tempo portion. I didn't wear a garmin, but my effort was pretty steady. I ended up finishing right at 2:19, so the pace was just under 7:00 for the last 6.7 miles. Like last year, this was plenty. I was very wiped out after finishing, and couldn't even accompany Tara and Mark for a full cooldown. Racing 30k 12 days post marathon is not something I am in shape for. But it was a good workout. I did manage to climb back into third place in the age group for the series. Striders does a fantastic job with these races. The courses are well supported, organized, scenic, and start on time. The finisher prize this year was a wicking hat, besides medals for the half and series. 5 races for $100 (if you sign up early) is tough to beat, and it's a nice way to stay motivated through the winter's dark days. Congrats to Ben VanBeekum and Mark P for 1st and 2nd overall, and Tara for 3rd overall in the women. | 