2nd Place

2nd Place
(Total reading time 1 minute)

Today was the second to last 5k for the Long Island Road Runners summer run series. The weekly race that runs through the summer usually attracts anywhere from 150-200 runners per race. This evenings race was plagued by bad weather drawing out only 22 participants.

Within the first two minutes of the race everyone running the course was soaked by the rain.

In each race I try as best I can to pull away from the crowd as early as possible and find other people running at my pace.  I do this not really with winning in mind because I know I am not the fastest runner on the course (I hope to be some day).  I do this more as a way of finding my pace and personal space.  I find it very uncomfortable to run jammed between people or behind someone that slows you down to a crawl.  In this race I followed the same plan and by the first mile had taken a 2nd place position.  Around turns I looked for the path with the least amount of puddles and tried to avoid getting my feet wet wherever possible.  After the first mile I felt I was dragging around more water in my shirt then I had drank in the last week, so I took it off while I was running, throwing it to the side. Running in the rain is not as bad as it seems.  Getting your feet wet while running sucks but the rain keeps you cooler then would normally be.

Near the end of the 3rd mile some started getting a bit closer to me. I pushed through the never ending pain in my side and finished with a time of 22:26. 1st place for my age group and 2nd place over all and first for my age group. As I crossed I never would have imagined that I could even come close to placing that far up.

Thats all I have to say.

Peter Weis

Be Sociable, Share!

•