Today, I went and ran the 34th edition of the Peace Race www.peacerace.org/ I got up this morning and started getting ready. I was feeling good. The weather was looking good. Sunny and should be in 50's or low 60's at race time. My wife and daughter decided to go with me today. Lately she been spending more time with me then normal. :)
Anyways, I met up with Rick and decided to follow him over. Orginally we was going together but too many spectators decided to go. The race is a point to point race with buses taking you over to a school near the start. We ran back thru town at start then thru Mill Creek park finishing in downtown Youngstown. This is the biggest running event in Youngstown. Lots of people come out you never normally see at a race. Local boxing champion Kelly Pavlik was there and a few other local "celebritys". Before the start Me and Rick saw this guy almost whack him in the head with this log he carrys in races. I seen this guy before carrying the log. I know its some Christian thing but is it really safe?? Would of been kind of funny if he knocked the champ out with it before the race. Well maybe.
We got over there and went and did about a mile warm up. Everyone started to gather at the starting line. Found out later there was 747 runners in the 10K. I wasnt sure how I would do, since I just ran a marathon 2 weeks ago. I was feeling good but who knows. My best 10K ever was 52:19, at the peace race it was 53:14. I had run it before, (thats a shocker) And run in Mill Creek park regularly. So I knew where the hills were. Its a net downhill course but second half was tougher then start. So I planned a positive split, I wanted to go out hard. Well I sort of went out hard.
We got started and start is downhill. But I wasnt able to get going quite the way I wanted but good. It was a really crowded start. Probably wasted too much time weaving around people. I figured the 10K had to be easier without a 20 mile warm up run first. Mile one split was 7:53. I actually wanted it faster but didnt think I could hold that pace. Mile 2 was flatter but stil some downhill in it. Mile 2 split was 8:06, just about where I wanted to be. Mile 3 had some up hills in it, 8:19, and I was feeling good still. It was hard but I didn't take my normal shortcut at this sharp bend I usually take. I suppose it was better that I stuck to the course.
Mile 4 was about flattest on the course. One small uphill is all I remember. In this area we run right along one of the lakes and the park was looking beautiful today. But no time to admire it today. Mile 4 split 8:08. Mile 5 we leave the park and has some hills. Nothing major. Might of been more then I thought it was, 8:31 for this mile. I was at 41:00 even at 5 mile mark which I later realized would of been a 5 mile PR. So I was trying to finish strong. Kept a good pace, hit a hill going over a bridge getting near downtown. I made this turn and could see the finishline off in a distance. If there was a 6 mile marker I missed it. I started to pick it up. I got close and had closed the gap between me and this small group in front of me. I was able to pass 4 of the 5 in the group. I was kicking with all I had left, not saying much, but I saying the clock. I was close to being under 51. I crossed right at 51:00, watch time. I got my peace medalion and started to look for some water.
I was real happy with time, especially after I remembered it was over a minute PR. I momentarily during race thought I could break 50 minutes but wasnt today, maybe next year. I found my wife, daughter, Rick and his girlfriend. He had run a great race, under 45 I believe he said. Great Race! Then we had to get going, it was my moms birthday, yes she was born on Columbus day, 1942 not 1492 though. I ended up giving her my Peace Race shirt. I have 1 or 30 to spare. And I hadnt got to a store. Anyways, thanks for reading, especially if you stayed awake this long.
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