Final Race of the BCRR Winter Series

Today's race was the final race in the 2011-2012 season of the Bucks County Road Runners Winter Series! The series ended with the 4.6 Mile Staggered Run – a race where the slower runners start earlier and the fastest runners start later. The staggered start times are based on your individual handicap which is calculated based on your previous finish times in the series - a very clever idea. My staggered start time was 22:14 after the first runner crossed the starting line. I finished 55^th with a running time of 35:40 – that is a 7:46 mile!

Without realizing it beforehand, this type of race forced me to use a totally different psychology. At the start, I am so used to a congested group of runners that I usually use the first several minutes just getting adjusted to the flow of the 'pack'. With this run, I started with a very small number of other runners (4-5) and I wasn't used to so much free space! I found that I started off too quickly and the first mile was more of a struggle for me than usual. But, the end result was very satisfying for me. I'll take a sub-8 minute mile finish any day!

The other interesting part of this race was the last half-mile when you could hear the pack of the faster runners quickly approaching – another interesting twist that played into sheer motivation and determination to not let too many of them pass me and leave me in their dust!

All in all, the series was great and I feel quite a sense of accomplishment tackling the hills in Tyler State Park just about every Sunday for the last 11 or 12 weeks.

Next series up is the Bucks (County) 5K Series with its first race on Sunday, March 25, Central Bucks YMCA Family Fun Run!

Happy and Safe Running,
John

Broad Street Run Registration Closes in 6 Hours

Registration for the 2012 Broad Street Run opened today at 10AM and reached it's maximum capacity of 30,000 runners within 6 hours! This is the largest 10-mile race in the country and it apparently has become one of the most popular races.

I feel quite fortunate that I am amongst the 30,000 registrants but have to admit the registration process was very frustrating. The response time of the web servers hosting the registration was severely compromised and it took me about 1 1/2 hours and lots of patience to complete the process.

This experience is a clear testament to the popularity of this race that represents a flat and fast course making it a favorite for elite runners looking to PR and those recreational runners who are looking for a good time running through the neighborhoods of Philadelphia with their friends.

2012 will be my 4th year running the Broad Street Run. And yes, I am hoping to achieve a new PR for this 10-mile race. May target time is 1:30 or less!

New PR for Half Marathon

This morning, when I arrived at Tyler State Park for the Bucks County Road Runners Winter Series Half Marathon Race, it was 18 degrees and a bit blustery with the wind blowing. I wasn't sure how many loops I would run – there were a total of four. The first 2 loops were repeats of 2.7 miles each and the last 2 loops were repeats of hilly 3.8 miles. In addition to the hills, there was a nasty wind factor to contend with so even if I finished the 13.1 miles, I wasn't expecting any miracles.

Lo and behold, to my amazement and satisfaction, I managed to pull a PR out of the hat and I finished in 1:58:38. That is 24 seconds faster than my previous PR for a Half Marathon. What a sense of accomplishment I had when I heard one of the race organizers cheering me on to finish less than 1:59 as I approached the finish line!

All I can say is that my training is continuing to pay off and that makes me feel great. I continue to see improvement in my speed, times, and how I feel after I finish. I can't wish for anything more than that.

Immediately post race, I enjoyed 2 cups of hot chocolate and a handful of salty pretzels. When I arrived home, it was a quick shower followed by my post race recovery meal that included 3 egg whites with 1 egg yolk, a piece of toasted whole wheat grain bread, a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter, and a banana – Yum!

I think I have my eyes set on the couch for a mid afternoon nap where I trust my 4 legged white haired companion (a West Highland Terrier) will be at my side so he can enjoy a relaxing back rub as I doze off to sleep….

Happy and Safe Running Folks!
John

34 Miles Logged This Week

Well, I am finishing up a strong week of running – logging 34 miles this week – the longest mileage I've recorded in more than a month! That's not bad considering I was out of town all week for business where I had to rely on hotel fitness centers. But, I did finish strong this weekend with a 6.5 mile run through Doylestown and the Delaware Valley Campus on Saturday and a 5.3 mile race at Tyler State Park today with the Bucks County Road Runners. I finished today's Pick Your Way Race in 42:57, placing 125^th out of 269 runners. That is an average 8:06 minute pace! I felt much better today compared to last week when I was at the tail end of a cold. Now, I am officially back in the saddle!

Tomorrow (Monday) is definitely going to be a Rest Day for me! I have learned to both respect and enjoy my rest days. So, I am finishing up my cup of herbal tea, (I've already enjoyed a rich brownie this evening) and then I'm heading to bed to read for awhile. The latest novel I'm reading is The Winter Sea by Susann Kearsley. I'm learning lots about Scotland and England during the 1600's. I was never much of a history fan when I was a student so I've been reading historical fiction to catch up on all that I missed when I wasn't paying attention during World History class in high school!

Happy and Safe Running!
John