Al's Run

I really look forward to this run.  For years it has been competitive and you get the chance to see how you stack up.  This year I made an effort to be somewhat race ready and for the most part I was.  The better part of the day is having the team go up to Ryan's and enjoy a great cookout.  The team is pretty thin at this point and we agreed again that we need to recruit new blood.

This year was another hot year as race temps must have been near 80.  Ryan's car on the way back was reading 90.  Nonetheless the race began and I was off.  I had visions of breaking 32, but to do so I wanted to keep in control.  Mile one was 6:29 with Ed and it wasn't as casual as hoped.  Mile two is the one with the hill and again I didn't want to plow myself under so I laid back with a 6:51.  At this point reality set in...you suck.  Thing is there is a ways to go and so I begin to try and lay a few licks down.  Mile 3 goes by in 6:38 and as slow as this is I am now winding a few people in.  Not many, because few people train/run any longer and the field depth is no longer present at this race.  The people around me are the same warhorses from past years.  Where is the new blood?  I drop my fastest mile of the day with a 6:15.

The last 0.97 miles of Al's finds one turning about 4 times through the streets of Milwaukee.  Again though I am supposedly racing at these pedestrian paces the field is spread out.  I go after a few guys on the last turn and manage to out sprint (ha ha) them, closing with 6:27 over this portion.  My finishing time is 32:39.7.  The interesting part is this garnered me 3rd in the 55-59 age group.  Jerry won this group with a 27:57.  The sprint at the finished paid off as I beat Dave for 3rd place by 0.7 seconds.  Not that age group awards are a big deal, but if I would have floated in and saw I missed by a knat's eyelash I'd of been disappointed.

As I write this it is 8 weeks until JFK.  Though I am looking forward to going, the desire to try and make a decent run at it seems to have past.  I am getting near the end.  No need to purchase flats any longer.  Time to hit the outlets if you get my drift.

That's a wrap

The best I can figure from looking at the calculators is I should be capable of 32:01 for the 8k.  My stated goal is 31:30, so if I can make the juju work then maybe it can happen.  Al's is never a gimme. People are throwing down.  There are scores to settle.  Largest Wisconsin race of the year, though the depth of fast times is a farthing of past years.  I have to get out slow and come from the back.  Today I did 2 x 1 mile repeats in 6:08 and 6:07 and it was Barney Rubbelish.  My turnover is compromised.

I am at 169 which is good.  The flats I have to race in have 639 miles on them, but I'm going to try and light one more match with them.  You really suffer the last mile here.  Flat as a board, but there are a lot of team races going on.  I'm the old guy on the team.  How rewarding.

Pack a lunch.