JFK 50 Miler

Feb 6th, 2010 - Race - Tewksbury - 3.13

Day 37 - I am convinced that the running god(s) hate me.

Fil and I got to the race at 7:58, and had about 5 minutes to spare. I didn't even bother signing in (I'll gladly pay you next Saturday), and hurriedly got my sh*t together and down to the starting line. My heart rate was already at race pace, so there was no need to warm up. Hey Fil, try waking up before 7:30 next time:)

On a day when I felt great and ready to set a PR at the Fudge 5k series, Dan V. was nowhere in sight! I thought I now had a really good shot at placing 1st for the first time at the series.

Temps were in the upper teens when the race started, and off I went...with three other runners. Dab nabbit! Nothing is easy at this race. In place of Dan were three new faces to the series, Mike Q., Mike D., and Peter L. We pulled away from the rest of the pack, and pretty much settled into our finishing positions by the half mile mark. Oh well, maybe next week.

I decided at that point to just try to hit my goal of 18:55 as a tune-up for the Super 5K the following day. I figure I'd need to run about a 6:02 pace since the course tends to be longer than 3.1 (ended up being 3.13 by my Garmin). First mile went by in about 5:55.

Just like last week, my toes and fingers became numb to the bone. I was hoping that they would thaw out by mile 2 like the previous week, so I decided to keep up the 6 min pace and get to that mile 2 mark as fast as I possibly could.

Mile 2 came and went and the numbness turned into unbearable pain, especially in my fingers. I had never felt such pain on a run before, so I decided to pick up the pace even more to get to the finish as fast as I possibly could.

The finish line came and went in 18:54 (4th overall!), but the pain was still there. It was awful. I felt like passing out. I usually wait at the finish to cheer on Fil and the others, but I just couldn't take the pain any longer. I quickly ran to my car and tried to warm up my nether regions (fingers and toes included).

It took about 5 minutes before I got feeling back in my fingers, but even as I try to type up this entry (my exkuse for any speeling erors), there is still some residual pain. I can't imagine what getting frostbite would be like! Yikes!

My theory for the pain? I was pushing extra hard at this run today, so my body went into survival mode and that usually means all of your blood goes right to the heart, and away from the limbs. That, plus the cold temps, made for a very uncomfortable run...but of course, I'd do it again.

Overall, it was a great run for most of us. I got my PR, and Fil had fun;)

Very nice to see some new faces today. Hopefully, only the new female faces show up next week;)

Results

Went for a 5 mile hike in the afternoon with Rachel and the boys (never knew Lowell/Dracut/Tyngsboro had a state forest!). Now to get some rest before the Super 5K and the Super Bowl! I need both teams to total 55 points in order to take home the pot!

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