Return to the ACLI Capital Challenge 3 Miler

And we're off! Shawn is very serious!

It has been seven years since I last ran the ACLI Capital Challenge 3 Miler. I ran a few years with CQ Roll Call in the news division as a reporter can serve as our captain. I organized the teams while I worked there. We won first print media team a couple of times with our stacked team when Amanda, Blake, Shawn, Eugene, and me worked for the company.

Waiting for the start

Now that I am working on the Hill again, I can run for a Congressional team. One problem is that the CAO isn't eligible to captain a team according to the rules. However, a Member can add one runner to their team from an organization such as CAO, AOC, Capitol Police, etc. I had reached out to the race director to ask how I could run, so he kept me in mind in case anyone asked him to fill their fifth slot.

Waiting

The day before the race, I Rep. Conor Lamb's staffer called and asked if I could run with them. A teammate was sick and the race director mentioned my name. They are one of the offices I support in my role as Customer Advocate (Pennsylvania is one of the states in the region assigned to me). I ran up to the office, filled out the paperwork, paid the entry fee, and talked with my teammates. One asked me if I could run 12 minutes. I said that would be close to a world record. She thought I meant I couldn't do a 12 minute per mile pace in which case they would find someone else. I assured them I could do at least 19 minutes for the whole race.

Ready already!

She asked if I had anything with the Steelers colors and said she could provide a Steelers t-shirt. I said if they made me wear a Steelers shirt, I would wear my Patriots hat. We compromised when I decided to wear the old DC Road Runners Club yellow singlet with a black Army hat and black shorts.

Finishing and breaking 18 for the first time!

On May 15, the morning of the race, I walked my wife and son to the Metro, took the Metro to Union Station, then hopped a bike share down to Anacostia Park. I met the Congressman and his staff near packet pickup, dropped my bag in one of the staffer's cars, and then we did a short warm up and I added on striders. I met up with Shawn and ran a little more before getting in the starting corral. Deena Kastor was the celebrity runner and she got the race started then hopped in the back.

First Congressional staffer!

I started out steady and didn't let the fast start pull me faster than my plan, which was to aim for 6:00-6:10. After the first mile, the field sorted itself out and I hit my strider, turning around at the midway point in 9:02. I knew that was a good pace I could hold without overexerting myself. I felt I had a good shot of breaking 18. I didn't pick up the pace too much more and did not even engage a strong finishing kick, saving some for the marathon. There were two runners ahead of me, which I normally would have caught, but they weren't in my division and wouldn't affect my team's score. I crossed in 17:53, good for 15th overall, and first House or Senate staffer. Our team ended up winning first House team by 2 points (cross country scoring where you take the places of all five teammates, add them up, and the lowest total wins). The Congressman said I am welcome back next year.

Motion to Recommit to Running - aka Team Rep. Conor Lamb

Quitting Is Habit-Forming, So Never Quit

Matt's first Boston Marathon - with our brand new matchy-matchy jackets!

Moments after I crossed the start line of the Boston Marathon, my leg wasn't feeling right. In that first mile, I hoped that the pain I was feeling was going to dissipate. In the second mile, I knew the pain was real and wasn't going away. As I watched my friends hold onto our pace while I faded, I felt scared, doubt, and anger. The 11th hour injury I suffered to my lower left leg on a training run 10 days out was going to keep me from running the pace I wanted. It might have kept me from even finishing. In those early few miles, I was genuinely scared that I was going to have to drop out of the race.

The Ames Brothers ready for Boston Marathon

Let's go back a few. With three weeks to go, I broke in a new pair of running shoes on a hilly tempo run up and down Greenbelt Park with Mike and Alex. After the run, while playing with my son at a playground, I felt pain in my left foot and near the ankle. I went to the podiatrist who said the pain in my foot was just a bruise and it was okay to keep running. I thought I dodged a bullet and continued to train. With 10 days to go before Boston, I went for a tempo run in Philadelphia along the Schuykill River. Everything seemed fine. On Friday night after work, while walking my son home, I started to feel pain in my lower left leg. It seemed to come out of nowhere. On Saturday, I ignored the pain and went on a two hour run, my last long run before the race. My leg really hurt, but I was in denial since I was able "deal" with the pain. I took off the next day. Then the next day. Then, I decided just to take the whole week off to let it heal. I was icing it and taking naproxen and applying BioFreeze. While away on my work conference, I was icing it every chance I had, storing my ice packs in the hotel's freezer (the staff were great!). By Friday, the pain had gone down a lot. I was convinced that it would be fine on race day. I didn’t sleep well the last few nights before Boston. Thursday night, I slept in a hotel bed since I was on work travel. Friday I was anxious because we were driving to Boston early in the morning (6AM wake up in hopes to hit the road by 7 to arrive by 3PM). And Saturday night, my dog was up scared and confused since we were at my folks' house and not her usual routine.

Bib pick up with Derek

I went into Boston with my brother on Sunday to pick up our packets. It was his first Boston Marathon, and I was so proud to be there with him as we picked up our bibs and bought the jackets.

Bib pick up with Matt

I let a woman selling something apply some tape to my foot. It had no effect, so I took it off before the race. After our traditional pasta dinner, I went to bed on Sunday. I didn't sleep that well either and ended up on the couch so as not to disturb others.

Bib pick up with Derek and Matt

In the morning, we picked up my brother and my dad dropped us off at the start line in Hopkinton. It was pouring and the wind blowing hard - it knocked a tent over that blew into the both of us. I worried the tent may hurt us, but we were fortunate. We waited in Athlete's Village for two hours while the rain and wind battered the big tent. I interviewed him for his charity's fundraising page. I had made plans to meet others, but they moved the "It All Starts Here" sign, so the directions I gave them were wrong. We did all finally meet in the corrals. The race began, we took off, and minutes later, I knew I was in trouble.

A wet and windy morning in the Athlete's Village. Since we were among the first to arrive, we got a spot against a pole.

I actually considered dropping out in the first 5K (25% serious / 75%) against. I have a friend in my running club who has the same brain cancer that Ted Kennedy, Beau Biden, and John McCain had. I thought of her and the idea of quitting disappeared. Soon, I found a group of other 3 hour marathoners between the waves who were the "running wounded." Mike from Utah and Ryan from North Carolina became my running team that day. Running with them helped get my mind into the positive, and I started to focus on what I could do, not what I couldn’t do. Running with others in your boat is a huge emotional boost as I don’t know if I would have gotten out of my hurt thinking alone. We joked about our injuries, shared stories about what should have been, compared QT times and races, shared stories of our kids, and just kept the other going. We were from different backgrounds and parts of the country in different fields, yet there we were with one thing in common: we could run fast marathons, just not today. We started to make light of our situation, and it was around then I was determined to finish. We were a running punchline: a Jew, a Catholic, and a Mormon were running Boston all injured...






I noticed something else while running with them. Being in the void that is between the waves, each fan could concentrate on us and devote energy to calling our name, number, or club in support. “Go DC with the Sawx hat!” In fact, after the half, my leg was not painful, just a discomfort. I knew my split (1:43:46) and knew I could do that again. Once I was confident of finishing, I felt a surge carry me forward. Then wave 2 caught us before the Newton hills. But not too many runners, just a few speedy people that probably had slow qualifying times but were actually fast enough to be in wave 1; they left us behind. That's when my competitiveness kicked in. Then Mike took off to go say hi to his wife with a promise to find me. I had promised to at least stick with him over Heartbreak since that’s where his race fell apart last year. While he was gone, I caught up to one of my club mates. I had seen her in the small tent in the village prior to the race and knew she was battling a leg injury that cropped up recently. We ran the first hill together over 128 and stayed together until the hospital when she told me to go. She HAD to finish as getting to the finish line guaranteed her streaker status (10 Boston finishes in a row). I later learned that she did indeed finish, probably much slower than she would have wanted. That was true for me as well.






As we parted, Mike found me again. Thanks to Shawn kicking my ass up the hills of Brookland and the Capitol, I was in great shape and made very good time. I was even smiling and pointing at fans. One fan had a sign that said "Straight Outta Boston." I replied, "You mean Straight Into Boston!" I was able to let myself have fun, I pumped my fists, and I even asked the score of the Sox game. “Are you a Red Sox fan?” I asked people in the crowd wearing a hat or shirt. “Yes!!!” was their answer. “What’s the score?” Not one person knew to their shame. I spent the rest of our time together trying to convince Mike we are diehards. He chalked it up to they are such good race fans they didn’t check their phones.






My best 5K of the race was after the last hill. That’s when I had my fastest mile of 7:06. I had energy and figured I wasn’t going to do any more damage. And it was warm now so I had a lot of roadkill serve as rabbits. As bad as I felt, I was better off than the dude by mile 16 with a bib in the 1000s carted away in a stretcher or the guy at 23 sitting dazed unable to talk to medics. My thighs did tighten the last mile or so. I think that was due to how I had to compensate my gait. I took the final two turns raising my arms, blowing kisses to the fans, pointing to the B on my visor, and just being happy to finish. Then I realized if I ran a solid final sprint, I could claim 3:23 and I did by a few seconds. I saw Meb at the finish. He gave me a fist bump. He had a medal and I looked at him like "okay, put it around my neck." He said it was for someone else. After a few more steps, my dad spotted me and we took a picture. I connected with Shawn and regretted I had no more in me to make the mile trek and back to his house. I found Alex for a picture and congrats and rejoined my dad at a bar my the finish line. When my appetite came back, I joined Dad and Jen at the Charles Mark hotel Parish Cafe by the finish line. We could see the blue boards holding up the finish line. We drank beers and ate pizza along with my sister-in-law until my brother finished. I videoed him finishing the race - it was awesome to watch him finish his first Boston!

Moments after finishing with my dad

While not my best (or worst) time in Boston, I am grateful to have finished. I am beyond proud of my brother! Every picture of him running, he has a big grin on his face. Now, it is time to recover, rest, and heal. I am going to take it easy so I can make a go in Green Bay on May 19, or at least finish to collect another state.

Checking in with the wives while waiting for Matt to finish

My splits:


5k 0:24:10

10k 0:49:26

15k 1:14:16

20k 1:38:27

Half 1:43:46

25k 2:02:54

30k 2:26:55

35k 2:50:37

40k 3:13:42

Finish 3:23:54

Finish Pace 07:47

Overall 7486

Gender 6095

Division 1102

My Adidas video of the race

I gave my wife my medal for being so supportive and giving me best advice: you better be able to walk on vacation! We had a nice getaway in the Berkshires the three days after the race. It was our first time away from our son who had a blast with my sister and her family. On the drive, we stopped at a rest stop in Blandford, MA. We saw half a dozen Japanese tourists wearing their Boston Marathon jackets. At the Red Lion Inn where we stayed, I saw an older runner in his Boston jacket. He has now run 15 consecutive! And since I wore my jacket around the towns, many people congratulated me on finishing. That's my takeaway from this race - I finished, which is an accomplishment not to be minimized.

St. Patrick's Day Double

Miles and I raced the Pacer's St. Patrick's Day 5K and 10K races, completing "the double" as they call it. My goal was to run marathon race pace even with the stroller. For the race, I dressed Miles with my green hat I bought on our baby moon in Ireland. With his bright red hair, he looks really good in green. I wore my green clover hat (the one that is Adidas that I wear to Celtics games), and my running socks with clovers. I pinned to him a bib on his jacket  that says future runner they gave me for him at packet pickup.

My little leprechaun ready for the races!

It was the end of a long training week. I hit 120 miles for the first time, my most ever. I ran hills on Tuesday and did some speed on Thursday (5 repeats of 4:00 minutes at sub 6:10 pace with a 1 minute standing rest). I am very encouraged for Boston with my recent training and racing.

At the start line

We ran from our house to the start line near the Washington Monument, a little more than a five mile warm up. I let him out of the stroller for a few minutes to walk and stretch his legs. He pet a dog that was running with her owner, a beautiful golden retriever that was well behaved (pictured below).

Waiting for the starting gun

For the 5K, we lined up almost at the back, standing with the 13+ minute per mile people. The first mile was slow as it took me nearly half a mile to weave through the crowd of people before finding a solid lane. 7:24 for the first mile was pretty impressive given I think I was in the 9 minute pace for a good chunk of the beginning mile.

Racing

I was able to cut down miles 2 and 3 to 6:38 and 6:34. Miles shouted, "On your left" and "beep, beep" as we passed runners. I received a few kudos for my pace with the stroller. It was a great feeling. When finishing, I was able to give it a real good kick. I finished 6th in my age group of men 40-44 and 57th overall in a time of 21:17, good for a 6:50 pace.

Running by the Lincoln Memorial

I let him out of his stroller in between races. We shared a Nature Valley granola bar and he danced while an Irish band played Celtic music. For the 10K, I lined up with the 9 minute group. It still took a few minutes to pass enough people to get into my pace. The course was similar to the 5K, going down Independence and up towards the Kennedy Center and down Ohio Drive by the George Mason and Thomas Jefferson Memorials. I did have to push in the middle miles, especially the 5th mile which was right into the wind. For the last mile, Miles started shouting, "Go Daddy, faster!"

Showing off our bling!

I was able to pass a few people and finish strong. I was the first stroller, so I was the first stroller for the 5K, 10K, and the double. I even was first in my age group (Male 40-44), so I won! I felt happy with my times as I kept my pace in range of my marathon pace. I hope to have a solid Boston Marathon - I just have to taper correctly. And, today I found out my bib is #5204. Four weeks to go!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The racing was a neat experience. I hope Miles has great memories of us running together.

Post race photo

Taper Not Required: DC Road Runners Club George Washington Birthday Marathon

Usually before a marathon, I plan my pace, my taper, and my carb load. This race was different as I didn't expend much energy in preparation. I didn't have a proper taper - seven days out, I completed my third consecutive 100 mile week. The week leading up to the race, I took off Sunday and Monday, ran my usual pre race tempo (5 repeats of 4 minutes at 6:20 pace with a 1 minute standing rest), and planned to run a few more miles Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. But, with reports of snow between 1-3 inches on Saturday and cold temperatures Sunday, I thought the race would be canceled since it has been in the past. I was in Pittsburgh for work, so I ran 10 miles on Wednesday and 15 on Thursday thinking why taper if there won't be a race. Then the forecast changed and I received an email from the race director saying the race was on. Well, shoot! I didn't run at all on Friday or Saturday. I went into the race with low expectation. I chatted with my coach on Friday and we thought a 6:50-7:00 pace was the goal. I was going to treat the race as a long marathon pace tempo.

The start line

Friday night, my wife and I watched Bohemian Rhapsody and I bought the album, meaning I had Queen stuck in my head the whole race (We Will Rock You, Radio Ga-Ga, and Killer Queen cycled through my head during the race). Before the race, I tried to assess if there were any 40+ runners that would challenge me for first master. I thought there was a good chance I could claim that prize. We have access to the Greenbelt Youth Center for check in and to wait. The race starts a short walk away in the neighborhood and runs out to the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, three loops, and then back to finish not far from the start. They introduced the two elite athletes and off we went.

Early in the race

Turning a corner

The first mile of a marathon can be tricky. I don't want to get sucked out and run too fast: too many runners usually do that and this race was no exception. If I go out too slowly, I fear that I won't be able to get to my pace. I have to remind myself that I cannot "win" the marathon in the first few miles. I was pleased that my pace was fine. The second mile was only fast because it was mostly down hill. In the third mile, a fellow club member started to run with me. He's a 2:40 marathoner and was going out slow as he had a 100 mile week recently as well. We ran together for most of the first loop. I told him I was going to try to keep it to a 7:00 and didn't want to hold him back. We chatted casually about running, race strategy, and other topics. As we went by the on ramp to the BW Parkway, he picked up the pace and I wished him a good race.

The short out and back section before the loop

Headed to the loop

I have run this course before as I competed in the relay portion. I know where the rolling hills are. That familiarity was helpful to me in pacing and strategy. Despite not having tapered, my legs felt okay and I had settled into a slightly sub 7:00 pace. I hit the end of the first loop in about 1:07, which was on target for a sub 3:05.

First lap complete

Finishing first lap

The first few miles of the second loop have climbs, so I took it easy. I hit the half in 1:31:02 - happy with my effort and figured an even split would give me a 3:02-3. After the half, there was a chance to pick up the pace with some down hills, so I did since I felt good. At the 16 mile mark, I passed a guy I thought was a master runner. He was in his late 30s and starting to fade - he went out too fast.

Feeling good!

Thumbs up!

At this point of the race, I was lapping some runners. They served as rabbits in my mind, something to go and catch and pass. It kept me motivated and my pace steady. In my head, I had Freddy Mercury's Live Aid performance from 1985. I was able to pick up the pace slightly, dropping my average mile down to 6:55. At about the 20 mile mark which is on the third loop, I caught my friend from earlier. I encouraged him to come with me, but he was done and jogged it the rest of the way.

Having a good time!

I don't remember much about the last loop other than feeling pretty good. I started to do math to figure out my time. I thought I was in 2:59 to 3:02 range. Breaking 3 was going to be tough because of the long hill in the 26th mile. But 3:00 and 3:01 were in the cards. One by one, I was able to pick off runners ahead of me. Leaving the last lap, I saw a guy I hadn't seen and asked volunteers if he was relay. They didn't know. I caught him - he was a solo marathoner. As the climb up the final hill began, I tried to make sure I put space between us so that he wouldn't catch me. I also wanted to leave something for the final kick. Then, I heard two runners approaching, so I tried to pick up the pace. At the top of the hill, I began my kick with the goal of not getting passed. With less than .2 left, I caught one more runner and crossed the finish line, good enough to earn a top ten finish.

My finishing kick!

With a 3:01:15, it was my 5th fastest marathon (2:59:31 Houston 2016, 2:59:32 Rock N Roll DC 2018, 3:00:58 Bismarck, ND 2015, 3:01:06 NYC 2018), second consecutive 3:01, and my 45th total marathon in 27 different states. 15 of my 45 total marathons are sub 3:10 and Boston Qualifiers according to my age and qualifying standards when I raced them. While I had already run Baltimore, Maryland, in 2007 (3:49), this one gives me Maryland in under 3:30 and puts me on track for 50 states sub 3:30 (I have to redo California). It was also my first marathon in February. Once I race in August, I will have run a marathon in every month.

Finishing in 3:01:15

I was really pleased with my race. My only disappointment was two men over 40 that finished ahead of me. I wasn't going to run a 2:46, but the runner who placed ahead of me put down a 2:59:06. My effort was good for 10th out of 181, 3rd over 40, and technically 2nd age 40-49. And I did this on a course that was rolling hills with a few tough climbs.

My miles: 6:55 / 6:49 / 6:59 / 6:59 / 6:58 / 6:59 / 6:51 / 6:56 / 6:49 / 6:53 / 6:53 / 6:58 / 6:58 / 6:40 / 6:37 / 6:52 / 6:48 / 6:47 / 6:57 / 6:48 / 7:02 / 6:51 / 6:55 / 6:55 / 6:59 / 7:25 / 5:37 (final .3)

Splits:
Mile mark = Overall time (Overall pace)
2.2 = 15:11 (6:54)
5.8 = 40:35 (7:00)
9.7 = 1:07:27 (6:58) finished first loop
Half = 1:31:02 (6:57)
17 = 1:57:16 (6:54) finished second loop
20.4 = 2:20:51 (6:55)
24.3 = 2:47:49 (6:55) finished third loop
Finish = 3:01:15 (6:55)
Second half = 1:30:13
47 second negative split

Results: https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-47603

A sampling of the comments I received:

"Nice job, Kenny. Glad one of us continued to move forward after the half way point."
"You were strong! No taper and top 10 with negative splits! Congrats!!"
"This course was harder than NYC and you nailed it!"

"Excellent time on a real bear of a course!"
"Nice job Storm!"
"Great job Kenny - proud of this effort!"
"You looked like having fun the whole time! Too bad it takes 100+ mile weeks to look that relaxed and fast at the same time!"

Thanks to DC Road Runners for hosting a fun and well-organized race and to my supporters and fellow runners! Next up: Boston!!

P.S. For Boston, my brother is fundraising for Dreamfar High School Marathon, the charity that provided his bib. If you are able to support Team Ames, it would be greatly appreciated!

The Dreamfar High School Marathon 10K Ames Brother Challenge

My brother, Matthew, and I will be running our first race together on January 20, the Dreamfar High School 10K around Lake Massapoag in our hometown of Sharon, MA. To make it interesting and because I'm the competitive type, we will be racing against each other as Matt will be given a 15 minute handicap, meaning if I run a 40:00 minute race, we'll add 15 minutes to my time and then compare it to Matt's. Help us in raising funds for Dreamfar High School Marathon (his charity sponsor that provided his bib for the 2019 Boston Marathon which we plan to race together). Your donation of $10 or more will  enter you into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card.

Here's how it works:

1. Donate $10 or more here: https://bit.ly/2TOrWrG

2. In the donation comments, indicate who you think will win by writing either TEAM KENNY or TEAM MATT.

3. We will draw the winner of the gift card from the "winning team" once race results have been posted (we will go by net time or gun time if no net time is available).

4. If we get over 25 donations, we will add a second $25 gift card for the runner ups team.

You can learn more about the Dreamfar 10K here: http://www.dreamfar10k.com/?fbclid=IwAR2Cyj4XD53-bZYqIlvWGUr_M0_FFyC1CeBj3qW-iOn2YtQNNpsqVB4lgZA

2018: A Year in Review

2018 was another great year of running. I tied my PR in the marathon, finished second overall and first master out in South Dakota, and ran more miles than ever for a calendar year. I started running to work regularly, which accounts for all of my additional miles. Miles and I ran a lot of miles together: in addition to regular commutes to and from daycare and our favorite loop to the Zoo, we had our first races (2nd stroller at College Park 5K and 1st stroller at Capitol Hill 10K). And, today, we ran to the Smithsonian so he could play at the Air and Space Museum, with a quick visit to my office on the Hill.

A few stats to capture 2018 in running:

Total miles (bicycle and running) = 5,063 which was 691 total hours of exercise. I cut back on bicycling since I switched those bike share commutes to runs which allowed me to increase my total miles by over 600 more than last year.

Running = 4,265 miles (previous high in 2017 was 3614). That is about the distance from Washington, D.C. to Fairbanks, Alaska. I climbed 145,840 feet while running. That's the equivalent of summiting Mount Everest (29,029 feet) just over five times!

New places I ran = Deadwood, South Dakota, St. Michaels, Maryland. It wasn't a banner year for accumulating new cities, but I'm fine with that.

My my training partner Shawn captures my year in running:

"Kenny is getting better with age and he's doing it by working harder. When 2018 ends, he expects to have run about 4,200 miles -- he's currently at 4,050 -- a lifetime high that exceeds his previous best annual mileage tally by about 600 miles.

"He's not only running more. He's running faster. Kenny ran his second fastest marathon ever in March with a 2:59:32 at Rock N Roll DC, placing second in his age group on a very difficult course. The hill at Fort Dupont at mile 23 is a doozy. His PR is on the flat course in Houston in 2016 (2:59:31).

"The following month, he persevered on a rainy, cold day in Boston, setting a course PR of 3:08:36 when many other runners dropped out.

"And at the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon in the Black Hills of South Dakota in June, Kenny was the first master and second overall. He ran in the lead group of two for most of the race. He led the race outright from miles 12-14 until the winner, a 29 year-old, caught and passed him. He finished in 3:17 on a warm day when the winner crossed in 3:11. That made him the South Dakota State Master's Champion for 2018 and marked the 27th state in which he has completed a marathon.

"In November, Kenny set a course PR at the New York City Marathon in 3:01:06, easily besting his previous two attempts 3:26 (2010) and 3:12 (2015).

"He was third master at the DC Road Runners Club 20-Miler in September, setting a PR for the distance of 2:14:16 (6:43 pace).

"Adjusting to the running life as a father, Kenny placed second in the stroller division in the College Park 5K in May. He was then first stroller at the Capitol Hill Classic 10K later that month.

"He ran a 1-mile time trial in 5:15 during the summer and placed 2nd overall in the DCRRC 3K Track Championship in driving rain in July.

"And in November, Kenny placed 3rd AG/7th overall at the Camp Letts Turkey Trot Not-Quite 10K in 37:22."

It was very satisfying to see him run a personal record number of miles in 2018, improve his marathon time from 3:08:20 (Freedom's Run, 9/30/17) to 3:03:16 (Rock and Rock DC, 3/10/18) to 3:02:37 (New York City Marathon, 11/4/18). He also set many other PRs and win a few races outright and age group. It was great to run with someone who follows a similar routine and keeps pace.

The friendly competition was what was ultimately most rewarding in 2018. As I grow older, I maintain my goal of 50 marathons in 50 states. I am still striving for PRs, but I am narrowing my focus to the marathon. It was neat to train for a track one mile race even if the downpour conditions made a PR impossible. I hope that 2019 brings more PRs, milestones, and quality time running with friends and my son!

My Return to the Turkey Trot

Last year, I didn't race a Turkey Trot, so I was excited to join Shawn at the Camp Letts YMCA Turkey Chase. I signed up a few days ago when I was certain that it would fit into my schedule and that dad would join me. It was too cold for Miles, so he stayed and Mom watched him. Last year, Shawn was third overall and first in our age group so I thought this would be a good race to place high.

My father and I pre-race with the mascots. Three turkeys and a raccoon!

Shawn and I warm up for the race

Shawn stretches to "Y-M-C-A!"

I have to change my expectations when I am sick. I have battled a head cold for the couple of days. And while I was able to place in the top ten, I was barely on track to break 40. The course is not easy: it is run on a gravely road (I bruised the outside of my foot during warm up) and through a grassy field and through a trail in the woods with roots, rocks, and standing water. This is not a PR course. I tried to hang with Shawn early, starting the race on the line, but after the first mile I fell back - I made a strategic decision to try to run slower at first then close the gap later. He was wearing bright red and I could see him through the bucolic scenery. Even when he put 20-30 seconds ahead of me, I figured I could make that up over the last 2-3 miles. But coming back to the finish, I didn't have that finishing gear. I wasn't gassed, but I was stuck at my pace. Shawn finished nearly a minute ahead of me - he out-kicked a 54 year old guy to claim 5th overall.

And we're off!

The race sent me photos (link) and results. It reported that me as 8th and 4th in my age group with a guy besting me by 4 seconds. That didn’t sound right - there was no one in the 10K ahead of me. I emailed the race director about the results, pointing out that a 41 year old male from Laurel, MD, bib 153 finishing four seconds ahead of me did not race the 10K. I attached finishing video my father shot and photos from the race's pictures. And Shawn testified to back up my claim.

Early in the race

They replied, “Hi Kenny; Congratulations on a great race! We will certainly check this out. It certainly makes sense he ran the 5k but was signed up for the 10k; which is what was used for scoring. It happened more than once. Give us a couple days to gather any other anomalies and we will repost results. Thanks; Ron”

Finishing almost a minute behind Shawn

After about a week or so, they concluded that he did, in fact, not race the 10K. They emailed:

"The Race Director has authorized us to make the change moving Warren to 5k. Mark will re-calculate results and will update the posted results.
Thanks for your patience;
Ron"

I appreciate that they got this right. I was moved up to 7th overall and 3rd in my age group. In the grand scheme, it means little, but it is nice to have the record accurately reflect the final results.