Cross Country Race Series started last night. Hamstring still to tight & sore for racing but this is my tradition so I had to run. 1st race is middle school course only 1.9 miles. Race at 7pm at 5:30 severe thunder storm hits but ends at 6:00 however more expected. I arrive and jog the course for warm up. Hamstring tight but not too painful. Race starts & the tightness starts to subside at about .5 marker. I keep the steps short and easy don't want to push it. I finish in 15:38 which better than I feared but the series is a tradition so I'm happy I was there and finished without pain. It was 86F & 90% H. I wrote a very nice article about the series a couple years ago and will add it if I can figure out how to do it. I did it! Go Ahead, Make My Day! The Columbiana Clipper Cross Country Program just completed its 8th annual Summer Race Series. The series is frequented by school kids preparing for their upcoming cross country season and consists of two 5k’s and two 3k’s. Through the years I’ve only missed one of the 32 races. I’ve participated with injuries, in rain and in mud, but mostly in heat that could fry eggs on your head. One year it was very muddy and we tore up Firestone Park so badly that Clipper Cross Country was no longer welcome, so a new course was made at the high school. The only race I missed was in 1999 because Linda and I were celebrating our 20th anniversary in Carmel, California (thank you very much). You know Carmel, home of the Big Sur Marathon and Clint Eastwood. You may remember, Clint aka Dirty Harry, was actually Mayor of Carmel for several years. Week 3 of the 2006 series was a 5k. As the 93 runners gather at the starting line, the line-up hierarchy unfolds. As I see it the fast open and the top high school runners deserve the front line. I move in behind them, even though I’m a few minutes slower than I used to be, I feel I’ve deserved the spot. I step in front of a group of high school boys that I don’t recognize as front liners even though they clearly will beat me. I get “the look”, so I return fire with a look that attempts to say “sorry but I’ve earned this starting spot by setting course records in the master’s division 3 times in past years.” Several of the boys step back, but a couple of them stand close not budging. I try to telepathically send them a message “I know what you’re thinking,” “has this old guy used all his races or does he have one left?” “Well let me tell ya boys these legs are magnums powerful enough to blow your hat clean off. So do ya feel lucky, well do ya boys?” The gun cracks and it looks like it was the last bell of the school year. I hang back as dozens pass me, I’ve been here many times and have learned not to get caught up in the fast pace set by the youngsters. I know very few can keep up that pace and many will come back to me in a mile or two. I run my race, after all a man has got to know his limitations. The course is nearly all grass and after a fast downhill start it turns into a large field of wildflowers with a trail mowed out. We run through the field with a slow uphill climb through high thick grass and uneven ground that slows even the top runners. During that 200 yard stretch I pass 7 or 8 youngsters that flew down the hill. Next is a 100 yards through a wooded area on dirt. I know I’m loose now so it’s time to push the pace a little and I pass 5 kids and 2 young ladies in the open division as we exit the woods. The course then goes alongside the school driveway where we meet the leaders, going in the opposite direction, as they hit the one mile mark. We then turn in front of the school and do an out and back section on the front devil strip. During that phase you get a good look at your competition so I pick out the runners I plan on overtaking. I was feeling pretty good so I marked 8 runners to prey on. My marks were 2 masters’ men, 1 open division young man, 1 high school boy, 2 high school girls and what appeared to be 2 middle school boys. They weren’t the quality of runner I used to prey on but the plan gives me reason to keep pushing hard. The course then goes back to the woods but turns in front instead of cutting through them and returns us to where we started. We then repeat that 1.3 mile loop again. In the early part of the 2nd loop I pass the 2 middle school boys and 1 of the masters’ men. At the 2.5 mile marker I was right in behind the young man and the high school boy so when the trail widened I surged ahead and blew bye them. Surprisingly I was still 50 yards behind the 2 high school girls and hadn’t gained much in the last 1.5 miles. The third section of the course was a half mile loop through the wildflower field. There’s a tough hill with ¼ mile to go that ends 70 yards from the finish line. I was confident that I could attack the hill and catch the girls. Well I did my part but the girls didn’t waver and they too finished strong about 30 yards ahead of me. I finished number 40 and despite memories of getting numbers like 20 in some past years I was happy with my run. I’m not sure what I like more, watching the top youngsters or chasing the young mid-packers. I do know that even though I got my butt kicked I feel great and this race certainly did make my day! Time 22:48 Masters 3-11

Nice running, Sarge. I'm glad the hamstring behaved and hope it's still ok. Congratulations. TomS

Hot enough for you? Nice racing, given the heat and hamstring issues especially.