The FWTO Race

I think I took part in this event for the 6th time. As always, it was well organized and it’s growing. The course has changed yet again, but it really didn’t matter. On the contrary, having the course totally different each year would make it more interesting. I like the kid races take place before the 4-miler. I also like any race to which I don’t have to drive. I picked the bib and the goodies from the Runner’s Stop store the day before, so I could run directly to the start of the race. I noticed the wind was blowing more than previous year which would slow my pace. My thoughts were later confirmed.

After the initial half mile, the runners stream spread and I didn’t have any companion. About a mile into the race a faster master passed me and I also passed two runners. We remained in this order till the finish. Pretty boring! That’s why I appreciated my support team yelling from the stroller and behind the camera even more. At mile 2, I started to labor with my breathing while the legs would still like to move faster. I was thinking how I prefer to run longer distances, i.e. 10K, 15K and plus, since I don’t run out of breath on such distances. Rather, the legs get heavy. I would have to adjust my training.

As I didn’t have anybody to “compete” against, I just glided to the finish in the resulting time of 23:56 (5:59 pace). I am very bad in time trials. I placed 10th OA. After the race, I spent few minutes with Jerry Kelly, sport massage therapist from Massapequa. He offered his services and it felt really great.