Foiled again! and again! and again!

I am still running, but haven't blogged about it in awhile. While in Ohio, I ran a 4-mile race on Independence Day. I trailed the leader for two miles, caught her on the third mile, and then she caught me with less than a half-mile to go. As it turns out, she had just finished a collegiate track season and still had that kick in her. I collected my second-place plaque (do I really want that on my wall?!) and headed home.

A few days later there was a 5K on the Kent State University campus. I thought it would be a good hometown race to go for the win. I won, but the competition wasn't as good and it ended up being the hottest race I have ever run in my life (and I have run some hot ones lately). At the starting line that evening, it was 97 degrees. Earlier in the day, it was 104 degrees!

When I returned to Boston, I ran the Carver Cranberry 5-mile, this year's USATF-NE Grand Prix 5-mile championship. I had a great race, getting out quick and maintaining a quick pace. There were so many people in the race that I couldn't tell exactly who was in front of me, but I saw lots of ponytails and assumed that I was in about 10th place. I was wrong: with 100 meters to go, two women that I had passed earlier blew right by me. They ended up 3rd and 4th, and I got 5th in 29:20. I was handed an age group prize, a water bottle, which I threw in the dishwasher as soon as I got home. Only when I unloaded the dishwasher the next day did I realize there was a gift certificate stuffed inside it. Thankfully, it survived the wash cycle.

Last weekend I ran the Bridge of Flowers 10K, a race that I last ran in 2010 and enjoyed and hated so much that I wanted to do it again. It is a beautiful race in a small town in western Massachusetts with good prizes and a fun atmosphere, but with a gigantic mile-long hill. I started well and came through mile two in third place. I hit the hill and dropped back to sixth place. I crested the hill and caught four women within a mile: I love downhills! I caught up with my teammate, who was leading, and we carried each other through another 1.5 miles. I pulled ahead, knowing that she always has an amazing kick. I led until the final hundred meters, where her amazing kick prevailed. She felt bad about it later, but it is a race and if I have to lose to anyone I would love for it to be her.

As much as I love second place, I am thinking about adding some speed work. I need to remember how to finish a race!