Yesterday was my first race of the year. The Shamrock Shuffle is a five-mile race through the neighborhoods of Glens Falls to benefit the Special Olympics (more on this later). Its a well-organized race with a hearty bunch of runners who brave the North Country March weather.
A lot of the runners use this race to kick off the racing season. I overheard quite a few people saying they hadn’t trained or they were just out to run and have fun, not really race. To be honest, that was my view too. The last few weeks’ schedule hasn’t really afforded time or plowed roads for running.
Last year, race day was bitter cold. Maybe 10 degrees and windy. But I had a good couple weeks before, got some running in and was well-prepared for the race. I did my normal “start at the back and pick people off one by one“. I ended up running the race in 40.20 for an average of 8.04 per mile. I was quite pleased but it sure set the bar high for the rest of the season.
This year was warmer: upwards of 20 degrees 
and sunny. The sun felt good though. My goal way to finish between 40 and 45 minutes (between 8 and 9 minute miles). I ran my first mile in 7.38. Yikes! Way too fast. Mile two was better; I slowed down to 8.03. Good good, exactly where I want to be. But it was starting to hurt. And from thereon out I was never really comfortable. I even walked through the water station around mile three to rub out a cramp.
Mile three has a lot of downhill. My pace picked back up to 7.23. Too fast, I know, but I only had two to go. I can push through two painful miles in my sleep. It was around the end of this mile that I learned the race was to benefit Special Olympics. As we were running down Glen Street in all our late race, ugly-wincing-stumbling, bad-form glory, a driver called out to a marshal to ask what the run was for. The marshal said, “Special Olympics, 5 miles.” My thought was yeah, Special Olympics for sure.
With less than a mile to go I was into my 34th minute. That was when I realized I could tie last year’s time of 40 minutes. A tie, that’s all I was hoping for. I crossed the line in 38.50, a minute and a half faster than last year! My average mile time was 7.46.
So I’m not sure what I learned from this. The pain of the race told me that I was in no shape to be running that. But my finishing time told me to heck with training. Kelly told me I make her sick, but that’s another story lol.
