“Faster turn-over. C’mon!” I screamed internally. I knew my legs had more to give, but I just couldn’t get them to go. My lungs felt great, as did my core. My legs - or leg rather - just wouldn’t stride like it should. It was then that I knew a come-from-behind finish wasn’t going to happen.
The first half of the Greasy-Gooney 10k (Browntown, Va - Shenandoah Valley area) was surprisingly pleasant. Sitting comfortable in 5th place along with my running friend/coach Jeremy, I powered up the hill. My splits were consistent and my heart/breathing rate were on point. A newbie to the area closely followed. I made references to Jeremy about the other guy, and talked a little louder than usual trying to mentally break him. We continued to surge and hoped to finish the first 5k in strong fashion.
By now, the top 2 secured their positions. Mario (another running friend) in third looked more confident than ever and was creating a buffer between him and us. Newbie seemed to falter a bit. At the 2.5 mile mark, the hill increases its grade. Jeremy pushed ahead, but I stayed close. By the time we crested the top (also the 5k mark), I tried to do my old cross country tactic - keep pushing past the top to break your competition. I lengthened my stride and glided passed Jeremy. This worked for about 15 yards, and then I heard the footsteps.
“All right. Let’s go, Jere…” Only it wasn’t him. Newbie came alongside, almost effortlessly. I did the only thing I could think of at them time. Ask short questions that would hopefully produce long responses to wear him out :)
We chatted a bit. He was from Arlington. Originally from Tennessee. And he went by Josh. Hey, a connection.
We ran about a mile together, and then Josh slowly pulled away. His new target, Mario, slowly got closer to him, but farther from me. It was about this time that Jeremy, who took a few extra puffs at the top, caught up.
We cruised together for about a half mile, and I made a comment on how the new kid was pretty good and might catch Mario. Jeremy must have taken it as a personal challenge. He glance at me and stated, “let’s see what I can do about 4th place.”
Game on. We were now coming off the downhill section (still slightly rolling), but hit a flat spot. If I could increase my turnover and be a bit lighter on my feet, I could reel all three in.
“Go!” I spurred, but with no results. My right foot continued to drive hard into the ground and without much forward propulsion. There was no pain, just an uncomfortable tightness. My stride felt as half as long as it should. This “injury” is really starting to get annoying.
The wind decided it wanted to get in on the action around 5.5 and almost knocked me sideways. It’s going to be one of those finishes...
From the strong uphill 5k and a steady 5:55 descent, I knew my position was secured, and I wouldn’t be able to catch the three ahead of me. A 10k PR was out of the question, as was the course record for my age group. Time to enjoy the countryside.
The Blue Ridge Mountains were more spectacular than I expected. The fall foliage really snuck up on me this year, and I have yet had much time to enjoy its beauty. As I swung around a few bends in the road, I said good morning to the spectating cows and to the woman on her cell-phone. I assumed she was watching the race, but as I jaunted by I didn’t even receive a glance.
“Good morning!” I proclaimed. “Good job,” she stated halfheartedly without a look away from her phone. Meh, priorities.
At the 6 mile mark, I decided to open it up a bit. If nothing more than for a terrible photo that I am eagerly awaiting to see (to be fair, it isn’t the quality of the photo or the photographer. It is definitely the subject and my inability to get a good race picture).
I crossed the finish line in 6th place (1st in my age group) with a time of 39:14. Not too shabby for running and winning a half marathon 2 weeks before, and getting a new marathon PR the week before that.
I sauntered toward the crowd of finishers. I learned that Mario also succumbed to Josh’s (no longer Newbie - he earned my respect) speed. Jeremy never caught them, but he came close.
The four of us went out for a 1.5 mile cool-down together and patiently awaited the awards ceremony. I won a random prize of miniature snickers. Josh received a pumpkin.
Overall, the race was great. Just outside my hometown, dirt cheap ($10), and beautiful scenery. I was able to run with my part of my running team, met a new runner, and even met a few people that I only knew online via Strava. I will definitely be running it again next year and for many years to come!
