10th Annual Club Challenge Cup Marathon Relay

Starts at 8AM and goes until Noon at Tufts University track.

Last year there were 14 teams and Melrose Running Club came in 7th. Out of 48 Male 40-49 I came in 42nd with a 6:52 mile. I’m a long distance guy. 6:52 is smokin for me. I’m shooting for 6:50 this year.

This year there are 17 teams, and I’d be happy if we managed to come in 7th again. I’m running the first full mile. Chris Hancock is running the “600m Speed Leg” or leg “0”, which will get us to the 26.2 miles for the marathon relay. I’m not fast but I have other commitments so I have to go first in order to participate. You could say I’m doing a “Run it and gun it”, sort of like a “chew and screw” as my father in law says. That means eat dinner and leave, in case anyone was wondering.

Running the first leg is a big responsibility. A fast mile sets the team up for a good relay, boosts moral and takes a bit of pressure off of everyone else. Only problem is, I never train for a 1 mile run. I can run a 5K like I’m gonna puke, but I never run one mile, balls to the wall. Physically I’m not up for this challenge. I just don’t do this distance. Mentally I’m all in.

I just ran a marathon that was harder than Boston and I beat my Boston time by 1:16 minutes. I still think the course was short or something. So much of running is in your head. I didn’t really train for Bay of Fundy but some how I managed a time faster than I have ever run Boston. Bay of Fundy is now my second fastest marathon. Not bad for goofing off for six weeks.

If I can do that, I can beat a 6:52 mile. Puking is acceptable, but there’s no crying in the running game.

Our thanks to the Somerville Road Runners for organizing this event!

Run well my friends!

Andy