Finally, it was time for the event I’ve
been looking forward to and training for since the first of the year. The target race of my spring program and the opportunity
to meet two more RWOL Forum friends....Larry and CJ.
After my race experiences in Florida, I
knew I would come up short of what I hoped to run at Azalea Trail. The only question was how short? Weather conditions would be the key....and, approaching race weekend, the forecasts were calling for warm,
humid conditions....my running nemesis. I ran 6 miles in Ft. Walton Beach two days before the race and it wasn’t good.
Sue and I met Larry and his lovely wife,
Betty, and toured Bellingrath Gardens with them the afternoon before the race. We then picked up our race packets and visited
the expo before meeting CJ at Larry’s hotel. Then it was on to the pasta dinner and running clinic. The pasta dinner
was excellent. The first time I haven’t been disappointed with the food served at a pre-race pasta dinner. The penne
pasta with crawfish in a cream sauce was especially good! Later I learned from friends in Mississippi that the caterer, Semolina
International Pastas, has a reputation in the area for being outstanding. We got to meet a few of the elite runners while
in the pasta line, who were escorted in just as we reached the head of the line. Sue and I had a chance to chat briefly with
the eventual female race winner (who was also last year’s women’s winner) and 7th place male finisher.
They were from Ireland. When we mentioned that we had lived in Ireland, they were as interested in us as we were in them.
The clinic was interesting, but not very informative. I just enjoy listening to Bill Rogers speak. He is a down-to-earth nice
guy.....and a seat-of-the-pants runner. Not a lot of sophistication in his advice or technical detail in his talks, but his
enthusiasm and love for running is contagious. And his unpretentiousness is charming.
Race day. We all met at Larry’s hotel
near the race start. Larry and I warmed up together and positioned ourselves in the pack for the start. His goal was about
a minute a mile faster than mine. He was looking for something around 50 minutes. I figured I might be able to run 54, so
I set my three goals.....realistic-54, floor-55, ceiling-53.
The race field was announced to be 4000.
The last finisher I have found in the results was 3442. Except for MCM, the race start was the slowest I have ever experienced.
It took 35 seconds for us to cross the starting line....and we were fairly well up in the pack. I estimate that we lost at
least that much more time during the first mile because of the slow starting crowd. Many slower runners who had lined up too
close to the front really jammed things up. It finally cleared enough to set a pace by the second mile. But, I was always
running in a pack throughout the race.
I ran 55:37 (8:58/mile pace). I finished
58th of 154 in the 55-59 age group and 1576th overall. There was a clock every mile. But, because of
the crowd, I couldn’t see those at miles 2,3 and 6, which were set low to the ground. The splits I did get were 9:34
at mile one, 26:39 for miles 2-4 (8:53/mile pace), 8:48 for mile 5, and 10:36 for the last 1.2 miles (8:50/mile). So, after
the slow start, I ran fairly even splits at a pace that would have brought me between my floor and realistic goals if not
for the slow start. And I ran almost 5 minutes slower than Larry, which is about where I thought I should be. So, I guess
I’m OK with it, although it’s hard to avoid comparing it to the 42:54 I ran in the same race in 1986. I know I’ll
never see those times again, but I still want to get back to within 30-60 seconds per mile of those days. Maybe next year...............
Sue’s cousin, who lives just outside
of Mobile, was at the finish line and found me. Sue and Betty missed Larry, CJ and me at the finish. They caught up with us
back at Larry’s hotel. We then had a chance to briefly visit the post race party at the Convention Center......I had
to have the traditional Azalea Trail post race bowl of red beans and rice with a beer. Then, Sue and I had to leave so I could
shower, dress and check out of our motel before the noon checkout time and Larry headed to the finish of the 2-mile walk,
which Betty and CJ were doing. Sue’s cousin joined us at a Schoeny’s Restaurant next to our motel afterwards for
a breakfast buffet feast. (It’s hard to believe I only gained 5 pounds during this trip!) Then, it was on to my brother’s
home in Mississippi and the rest of the trip.
Jim2
