A Turkey Day PR

Thursday, November 22nd

Thanksgiving Day 4 Miler - Portland, ME
21 min warm up
4 Mile Race - 19:32 (1st Place) - 4:48, 4:54, 4:51, 4:58
PR by 27 seconds
17 min cool down
Total = 10 Miles

Today was my 6th time running this race and in those past 5 attempts, I've never been able to win the damn thing. I've been 2nd once (2006), 3rd three times (2001, 2003, 2004), and 7th once (2002). I've also been beaten by two Olympic Trials finalists (Matt Lane and Brendan Mahoney) in that time. Finally, in my 6th try, I was able to find myself on top. I knew I wasn't going to be able to touch Matt Lane's course record of 19:04 on this hilly course but I ran strong and was able to get myself a new 4 Mile PR, a free pair of New Balance running shoes, and a nice spotlight on the Channel 8 news. All of these were great things to walk away with, but the biggest thing I was happy to get was a very hard, comfortable effort and a performance that is consistent with my current fitness along with my past races this season. I didn't really want to wait around in this race and play games, so I just took the lead from the start and ran the pace that I felt the most comfortable at. I was joined by a couple younger guys (Jon Wilson and Mike Griffin) but after we hit the mile in 4:48 and started charging up the 600m hill, their footsteps became much fainter. After this point, I was running solo, just following the lead car. I just stayed relaxed throughout, focusing on my perceived effort and thinking about all the things that got me there and the things that still lie ahead.

Also in a race that attracts over a thousand people each year, I have a lot of old friends and supporters that I get to see in this annual tradition. It really adds to the experience and is so great to catch up with all my Maine roots. Again I can't say enough how much I've appreciated the supportive messages from everyone over the past few days; it continues to make these accomplishments so much sweeter.