Good Times 5K of Lowell MA

Disney Tower or Terror 13K...kind of a race report (Read 86 times)


Beware of the Swamp

posted: 10/31/2009 at 1:16 PM
modified: 10/31/2009 at 2:36 PM

Another race with a big garmin discrepency..getting pretty annoying...course measured 8.24 miles with garmin which would give 6:21min/mile..pretty much the high end of my goal...oh well

 

Race Day:

It was really bizzare running a race at 10:30 pm. I spent the better part of the day walking around and going on rides at Animal Kingdom. Legs were already beat as the temps were in the 90's with 100% humidity..this is going to majorly suck monkey balls...Went back to the hotel around 2, hoping to get a couple hours of sleep. I got maybe 2 hours..Went to dinner at 5, but had no clue what to even attempt to eat.. I dont usually eat much before a race, but I still had over 5 hours till race time..at a big dinner and hoped for the best..went back to the room and watched tv for a couple of hours before we had to head over to the the race. The last bus over was at 9. We left around 8:30... They had a pretty nice area setup for runners and family and friends...spent some time with my wife and daughter and then went off to find the starting area and run some sort of warm-up...Ran maybe a mile warm-up and was sweating like I had just finished a 5k..this is not going to be fun..and I still have 45 minutes till race time..watched the 5k start at 10:15 then got into the corral for the 13k 10:30 start..tried to start a couple of rows back as to not go out too fast, but it didn't help...by the time I caught sight of the mile marker the damage had been done..I saw 5:30 and backed pace way off, crossed mile 1 at 5:58..damn my legs are already tired..this is going to be a long night..I could never really get into a comfortable groove as they course had lots of twists and turns...just after mile 6 we passed the starting line and got ready to enter the Disney studios park...took some water..big mistake as I got a massive abdominal cramp..felt like I was going to puke..backed off pace a bit and it went away..most of the group that I was with had pulled away a bit after mile 7 including a guy in a zorro costume..you have no idea how friggin embarrassing it is to get beat by a guy in costume...at this point I just wanted the misery to stop..finally saw the finish and had a decent kick to the line.....I didn't get chicked but it would have been better than getting costumed.

 

finished 13K in:

 

52:15

30th out of 3247 people

4th in 35-39 AG out of 249

MTA: link to race photos.... ToT photos

posted: 10/31/2009 at 10:12 PM
Very nice report! Great job!!!
evtish


posted: 11/2/2009 at 2:10 AM
Nice race Eric


Beware of the Swamp

posted: 11/2/2009 at 2:27 PM
Thanks guys...the race was a lot of fun...it's too bad it was the last year as I'd have liked to run it again.
lostinthenet3


posted: 11/2/2009 at 3:09 PM
Eric sounded like at good time. Congrats on 4th. Doug.
Arthur Ashe once said that “Success is a journey, not a destination. Running 114th Boston Marathon “All marathon runners are dreamers; we are not practical. The hours we spend every day, every year! The strength we expend over long lonesome roads and the pot of gold we aspire to receive for it all! The end of the rainbow, is a survivor’s medal.” Bertha Kelley, mother of Johnny “The Elder” Kelley


Beware of the Swamp

posted: 11/2/2009 at 5:07 PM
Thanks Doug.. unfortunately I didn't get anything for 4th since they only gave out awards to top 3 in the AG... sucks because they were pretty nice awards
posted: 11/4/2009 at 7:33 PM
Quote from Eric M on 11/2/2009 at 5:07 PM:
Thanks Doug.. unfortunately I didn't get anything for 4th since they only gave out awards to top 3 in the AG.

 

That does suck, but that's still a nice placement in a good sized field.  Nicely done Eric.

E.J.
Tuesday Night Good Times 5K series Lowell, MA
Greater Lowell Road Runners
See Dawg run. Run Dawg run.

"The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self."
Whitney Young


Beware of the Swamp

posted: 11/4/2009 at 8:23 PM
Thanks Ed and good luck this weekend... I'm still itching for another sub18 attempt, but think I'm going to wait until turkey day...if the stars align I should be able to do it on that course.