[Just pretend that this was posted last Monday!]

Though it’d been necessary to bundle up during the warm up, as the race start time drew nigh and the sun reared high, I was beginning to sweat (some runners had already stripped down to naught but patriotic short shorts and gloves!). Thus, while time remained, I removed my black, embroidered Jingle Bell headband (acquired for winning the M19-29 age division in 2006), rushed back across the parking lot, and deposited the headband underneath my car. I would just reclaim it after the race. Anyway, in the tense moments before the start of the race when we were all massed together whilst listening to Tamara’s instructions, I lightened the mood by letting a couple slip out. Somebody might have chuckled and somebody else might have said a sarcastic “Thanks.” These are things you feel like you can get away with when you’re destined to dominate the race!

A couple high schoolers had me slightly worried, actually. While I knew that, with Strickland restricted from really racing, no one there was going to decisively drop me --- but that a couple others might put up a solid fight nonetheless. I had the impression that one of them (he of the star spangled shorts) might be the same kid who won the 2013 Pet Day 5k with a 16:58 (that had in truth been a Ben Aris, and there were no Arises present in St. Mary’s City). So I was quite relieved when, after maintaining my balance over the bumpy blast off along Hogaboom (racing across that roughshod route always makes me feel poised to stagger and stumble), I took the right onto Rosecroft and looked back to see that no one was attempting to keep up with me. All I really noticed was a flash of red a ways back (race photos indicate that this must have been Stick).

Enhancing my lead as I continued along the shady lane of Rosecroft, I ended up beeping off my opening mile in 5:13. That’s the fastest mile I’ve ever run in a race! My opening 5k miles are always quite swift, however, and how well I could maintain that momentum was the real test. I did seem to be keeping the frankly fast flow forthcoming for the remained of the “out” portion of the course, leading me to achieve the U-turn cone in 8:14 --- meaning that even splits would’ve brought me home in 16:28, and negative splits could’ve pushed me even closer to 16:00. But for me 5k races have never been anything but incredibly positive. Above all, the most crucial check point during the race was to hit mile 2 sub-11:00, and I managed this despite a weak 5:41 2^nd mile by merit of my blazing opener.

Once I’d face-to-face passed those fairly fast runners who'd be finishing 18:00-20:00 (Joe seemed to be holding his own amongst the so-called chase group), the long ranks of mid-packers and back-of-the-packers (Emily was moving right along), and then the last few straggling joggy walkers (tough to take tangents with all of them in the way), there was nothing between me and certain, repeated victory (and a turkey!) but the wind. And sure enough that wind became a walloping wall against me as soon as I turned left back onto Hogaboom --- just as the margin of error for still being able to break 17:00 was growing perilously thin (clearing 2.75 miles sub-15:00 is another major check mark, and I was a few seconds over 15:00 at that point). I was still fairly confident that I was going to make it … and that confidence was close to becoming a goal-spoiling complacency when Perry, positioned along the sidelines with the finish in sight, gave me a reminder on the urgency of the situation. The clock was already ticking past 16:50!

The time might’ve been up to 16:57 when I made my made scramble to the line --- only to find some bizarre barrier blocking my passage to victory! Though this was about the 14^th race I’ve won in the modern era (beginning with the 2006 Three Oaks 5k), this was the first time I’ve found finishing tape awaiting me at the line. It was scarcely an obstacle! Then, as I’d stopped my watch at 17:00-flat, there was sharp suspense leading up to the award ceremony (at Step By Step I’d stopped my watch at 17:12 but then been given an official time of 17:13). Yet huzzah! For once things went my way, and a 16:59 race result was in the books.

It wasn’t until hours later that I realized I’d driven off with my precious, sentimental Jingle Bell headband (worn around my head during many, many cold runs over the past 7 years, including my marathon debut in 2008) still lying on the brick parking lot. And though I actually returned to reclaim the headband early the next, bitterly cold morning --- when the scene around the HSMC Visitors Center, though bustling with cars and race participants less than 24 hours prior, was now forlornly deserted amidst the wistfully wailing winds of winter --- was nowhere to be found. Someone had taken it away.

At NXN-SE (Nike National CrossCountry, SouthEast Regional meet), David Strickland broke 16 for the first time this past weekend, dramatically: 15:35.

Haley (Jackson?). I had reason to believe she goes to Patuxent. One of Walser's athletes, I assume.

Nice result, Perry. A worthy time. I can't imagine head-on collisions are fun in a race, though.

Jesse finished first overall. He didn't register in the final results at all. They posted paper results indoors as soon as they could. The whole thing was very organized in that regard. Jesse's name did not appear on there, though, prompting us to debate whether he bandited or it simply didn't read his chip. It was corrected before awards were given, though.

These results are very different from the ones posted originally on the wall, now that I look at it deeper. The gun and net times are different even from what was originally posted (the guy who finished in front of me on these results, but behind me on posted results). I also see several people (age group winners) whose chips didn't register as they crossed the starting line if I'm reading this correctly (including Alison, who appears in age results, but not overall results).

They moved to 5 year age groups this year. They had enough people to do it, so it worked out. Everyone received the same headband. I didn't see what the overall winners got. I thought they got a gift certificate to somewhere, but I forget where. I doubt it matters much in these backwoods, but Hayley may want to be careful about what awards she accepts at races.

http://www.racepacket.com/rsltwrap1.php?id=4630

Are we really to believe that there was a 99-year-old named Paul Ingraham who ran 15:30 despite a gun time of 19:16? I can't find anything about his other race results online.

Also I now feel validated that I didn't finish that far behind Trent. His time was listed as 16:40 on the initially printed and posted results (as it still is in the digital results), but during the awards presentation Kelly misspoke and declared Trent's time as 16:30 --- giving everyone the erroneous impression that he'd really gotten away from me.

I very pleased with my Langley 10 miler.

It was cold before the race, but once it started the temperature did not bother me.   I went out too hard at LPR 10  and I was determined not to make that mistake again.  I was in 9th or 10th place at the half mile mark and looked behind me and saw there were another 10 people within 10 seconds of me.   This from a race with around 90 people in it (last year there were 89 I will not know this year's count until they post results).   My watch matched up perfectly with the first mile mark and that was in 6:45.  I counted 6 runners ahead of me so I figured I was in 7th (one runner had actually gone out so fast that he had unbeknowst to me already rounded a turn and I was actually in 8th place at the mile mark--said runner ended up beating me by 4 minutes and 10 seconds).  I did a good job of holding back my second mile as I ran that in 6:42

In mile 3 things started going off plan a little bit.  I passed a couple runners to move into what I thought was 5th place but was actually 6th place early that mile.  Then there was a pack of 3 runners ahead of me.  Still not aware of the lead runner I thought if I could chase down that pack I could move into second place.  However, the pack had settled into about the same 6:40-6:42 pace I was running at.  So I gradually starting worker harder and harder to catch them.  I did not catch them in mile 3 but I narrowed the gap to maybe 6 seconds whereas it had been 10 seconds at the start of the mile.  My watch matched up perfectly with the three mile mark.

Early in the fourth mile there was a water station and that slowed down the pack.  Whereas I worked hard to make up a few seconds on the pack in mile 3, I instantly gained like 4 seconds on them when they reached out for water.  By mile 3.5 I was passing and that where thing really did not go to plan.  All of three of them did not just let me slowly gap them with me running a 6:35 and them running a 6:40, rather they sped up to my pace, which in turn lead me to speed up myself.  All of this in a headwind (albeit, not a bad one).  Mile 4 I ran in 6:27 and that ended up as my fastest mile of the race.  In the end only one of the three people in the pace I passed when with me.  It was the lead female running in a Boston Marathon jacket.  A couple other notes, mile 4 had a turnaround at the waterstop and this was when I learned  I was in 6th place not fifth place (at that point early in mile 4).  At the end of mile 4 by watch did not match the mile marks.  My watch said 4.2 miles when I saw the 4th mile mark.  The rest of the way, my watch was consistent with the mile marks always reading .25-.27 above the actual mile mark.   The reason why the difference changed from .2 to .25 though was because I briefly went the wrong way. Thus I thought the course was going to be long, around 10.2 until I saw the final straightaway when I realized the last mile was really short (.75 according to my watch).  I talked to two other runnners who had the exact same experience of me where there GPS watch matched the course closed until mile 4 where the mile 4 was really long and then the last mile was really short.

Anyway, the lead female runner chased me for all of mile 5.  I ran 6:30.  This mile was also into a slight headwind and I was afraid I was pushing too hard and that I would not be able to hold it.  In mile 6, I briefly turned the wrong way.  The Air Force members were like "Sir that way" .   The mistake added .05 to my race and cost me approximately 20 seconds.   I had also gapped the lead female runner by 10 seconds in the battle for third place (it was clear the top two guys were out of reach) so it was disheartening to have a 10 second lead turn into a 10 second gap.  Miles 6 and  7 were in 6:30 and 6:28 and my the end of mile 7 I was right back to where I was in relation to the lead female runner where I made my brief detour around mile 5.3-- a nice 10 second lead on her.  Miles 8 and 9 I had a bit of a fade.  Running 6:39 and 6:37, but if anything I doubled my lead over the lead female from 10 to 20 seconds and I kind of felt as I went into the last mile that third place was wrapped up.  Anyway I hit the 9 mile marker at 9.25 by my watch so I thought it was pretty safe to assume my watch would measure the race as 10.25 and some point one of the service members pointed me to turn.  I did and I saw I was on the straightaway.  This was a full .3 miles earlier than I thought I would be there.  I picked it up a little, but was more surprised.  My watch read 1:05:23 for 9.95 miles as I finished.

I talked to two other runners (who obviously didn't make the same detour as me) and they got 9.89 and 9.91 respectively.   The course was obviously short.  Everybody agreed that the course was measuring long by the GPS watches until the last mile where it was very short.  The way I look at is I ran 1:05:23 for 9.95 miles.   I ran 10.07 at LPR 10.  If I could have maintained by exact pace for .12 miles so that I got the same watch measurement as I had for LPR 10 my time would have projected to 1:06:18 which is a 4 minute and 3 second improvement from LPR 10.  Of that 4 minute improvement, maybe half of the at was course conditions.  Maybe another 30 seconds was tapering this time, whereas I wanted to practice running on tired legs for MCM so I ran 14 miles with Crystal the day before LPR10.  Finally, I definitely do think I have made some fitness gains since LPR10 as I ran around 200 miles in both October and November so I think I have increased my endurance quite a bit since then.

Overall I was very pleased and a bit surprised by how well I ran.

Yay for 3OA!