Thursday night - "Our Lady of Sacred Heart 5K":

A day-long deluge stopped less than an hour before the gun, leaving conditions damp and cool but not bad.  Last year at this event, I finished 2nd, well back after the winner threw down a big surge that I couldn't match during mile one.  This year, Ray was there again - rematch!

There was a ragged lead pack of maybe 5 runners holding together by 1/4 mile, and I was setting a conservative pace up a gradual hill into the wind.  A couple guys started to slow approaching a half mile, and I had already looked back for Ray a few times without even trying to be discreet.  Sure enough, he made his move and this time I was ready to match it, with no one else hanging on.

The timer at 1 mile called out 5:48, and Ray let out a disgusted "oh my God."  After a few hundred more yards to see if he'd step it up even more, I said "we can do a bit better than that, huh?"  He told me that he couldn't today, that he was coming off a cold and had under-dressed (singlet and split shorts).  "Sorry to hear that, man."  It was sincere, I really wanted good competition.  Unfortunately he was off his game and gradually fell back, so I just had to maintain a strong pace for the win.  The course has a long climb starting just after two miles, not breathtakingly steep but constant.  Hard up, finally crested it, and then I went almost recklessly on the final long downhill to the finish.   The walkers were on the 5K course near the bottom, and I had to dodge onto the grass to avoid one lady drifting into my path.   Kicked it in hard for a 17:18, which I'm very happy about considering the slow start.

Good course, well-marked, beer tent, timely awards.  The sun even came out for the party, and  I got a $50 gift cert to the LRS in addition to a trophy, woot!

Saturday night - "Love Everybody 5K":

Two 5Ks in 3 days?  That wasn't appealing, but I had noticed that this one at an elementary school was advertising a $100 gift card to the OA male and female.  The map promised a convoluted course through several subdivisions, but sure, I'd try to go win money even after two hectic work days since the last race.

This was a memorial event for a student of the school who had been killed in a traffic accident, and there were LOTS of young kids and parents out on a really pleasant night.  Some very poor planning was involved though - the school was shut and there were exactly 2 port o-potties for over 500 people.  I warmed up, detoured into a muddy thicket, and fidgeted with my shoes (the Elixir 8's, mostly because they matched my orange and black color scheme.  The fashion hos are rubbing off on me ) while people perused an impressive Chinese auction.

With 20 minutes to go, I queued up to hopefully get in a final #2.  No such luck with so many people waiting, ah well.  Scouting for competition was a dead end, with one notable exception - Allison, who is a 7-time winner of the Buffalo News "Runner of the Year" compilation.  One of the top ladies in WNY for over a decade, what a total bad-ass.

There were throngs of kids right up on the line, so I tried to relax and chatted briefly with some other runners while the starter crossly yelled "kids to the back!"  One kid stayed up front and had to have an older guy vouch for him, telling the crew that he could run 19:00.

That kid went like a bat out of hell at the gun, and I actually had to let him lead for a while, reminding myself that he'd surely not maintain the pace he was on.  Eventually he slowed and I took the lead, following a guy on a motorcycle with his SO shooting video off the back (and assuming that he'd be the pace vehicle for the whole race).  Allison wasn't far behind, and we turned onto a long stretch of road that had been ground down for repaving.  The pocked sub-layer was not ideal to run on, but I just kept going while being careful, feeling that Allison was gradually losing ground.

The motorcycle guy led me into the labyrinth of residential streets that would make up most of the race, and I felt good about my chances with nobody right on me.  I followed the bike around a left hand turn, cruised down a new street, and then people were yelling.  Loudest and first was Jeff, a marathoner who is a bit older than I but had grown up a couple houses away.  "JAY!  WRONG WAY!"

Oh hell.  To my horror, I looked back towards the tail of the T road, and a guy who had been way back in 2nd... was now way ahead in 1st.

"MOTHER FUCKER!" I roared at no one in particular, turned, and for a split second panicked.  The biker yelled "oh, oops" and started to turn.  Adrenaline and anger took over like lightning had struck me, and  I went back at a full sprint until I had closed the gap.  It might have been 50-60 yards of absolute rage.

Now I was winded and my legs and lungs were on fire.  I slowly got about 10 yards back in the lead, but couldn't shake that guy any further.  Shit.  Don't melt down, don't melt down.  SO ANGRY.  The motorcycle was nowhere to be found, and I guessed where to go at 2-3 more completely unmanned corners, yelling "It's a fuckin' choose your own adventure out here" to the runner behind me.

Where there were volunteers, I asked "which way?" long before approaching the turn.  The distress was really creeping on me now, and my shadow was still right there, too close for comfort.  Finally I spotted the unusually large crowd lining the approach to the chute and threw everything left into a kick, all the while expecting the guy on fresher legs to nip me just before the line.  It didn't happen.  I crossed first, ripped off my tag and almost threw it at the official who had said "you're done" to signify that I should slow down.

I was so jacked up that I ran out of the back of the chute, spouted something about not being done with 3.3, and flipped birds at the world in general.

Finally I calmed down, slowed down, and walked back and congratulated the 2nd place guy, assuring him that my outburst wasn't directed his way.  Once I was sane again, I realized that I might be DQed and would have been at peace with that, but it didn't happen.  I don't think anyone was really paying attention to my crazed antics once I was past the end of the chute.

The biker found me and apologized, and Jeff found me to comment about how I should have been more familiar with the course.  Haha.  I thanked him for yelling -- without that, who knows how far the wrong way would have continued.

Gift card for Allison, gift card for Jay, and nice plaques for AG winners.  Not a bad ending to a mess.

Sounds like a good weekend! Congrats on he wins and gift cards Jay!

One good thing about being so slow, is I always have someone to follow.

Man, I felt furious for you! I can't imagine how annoying it is to have to guess direction in the heat of the race. Congratulations nonetheless, you did amazingly!

If this is the first time you have found bad markings on a local 5K, you are a very, very lucky person.  I have had it happen on more than one occasion.  With those races, you really do need to scout it out first.  Congrats on the wins.

Great job on the double wins!  Congratulations.

Nice job!  I love reading reports from you fast runners.  I imagine it is hard being in the beginning of the pack.  What are you going to spend your big bucks on?

Good stuff as usual Jay.  On the strength, you've been kickin' ass this year!

Nice save on the second race, you might have knocked a mofo out had you lost!  The question on that though is how in the hell were you supposed to know where to go as Jeff suggested?

I too yell in a panic at volunteers who are busy chit chatting or just standing silently at an empty intersection or fork in the road.  I mean, at least point if nothing else.

As it is, two races, two wins, $150 bucks.  That's one helluva weekend!

Congratulations, congratulations you!   You are super duper fast!   What an awesome weekend of wins!