The Smuttynose Palooza 5K

Saturday, March 8th, 2014

The weather was a crisp mid 20’s according to Accuweather and the breeze was barely noticeable. There were a few patches of ice on the roads but unlike last year, we did not have to jump torrents of ocean water washing down Beach Road or run through mounds of sand washed onto the road by the last high tide.

I managed to place 108th overall out of 903 runners and 18 out of 90 men, 40 to 49 years of age. I ran the race pretty much as hard as I could and ended up in the top 20% of men my age and bested last year’s time by 17 seconds. Not bad.

Full race results from Coolrunning.

Last year when we picked up our numbers at the Blue Ocean Pavilion, the ocean was pounding against the foundation. With each wave the building shuddered. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, this winter has been tough but last winter was tough also. Instead of cold and snow we had more rain and storms. My basement flooded twice last year.

This year I looked out onto large swells as I waited for my bib. I don’t think they even hit the building. The volunteers were excellent and everything went off without a hitch.

Running Smuttynose Palooza 5K

It was in the 20’s, so waiting for the race to start was a bit brisk. Even as the runners packed in in the moments before the race, any breeze was frigid.

The race was pretty much uneventful. The temperature was great, the crowd was not that bad and the race started pretty much on time. As we made our turn onto Beach Road the race ground to a halt as race officials warned us of ice and puddles. I didn’t think it was that bad, but didn’t want to slip. When I looked up from the road I realized I was about to run over someone’s kid. A quick dodge to the right and I was off.

As with any race, there were moments when I was not running at 100%. According to Garmin my heart rate averaged 91% of my maximum. I could have run an extra 5% harder, but why? Today was a speed workout for me and I think I achieved that with a Garmin pace of 7:30.

Tomorrow I have a 20-miler with the club Sunday Long Run. Friday I did a killer leg workout and I think that held me back a little today. That’s okay. It’s all part of the package.

From last fall’s Bay State Marathon I learned that I need more leg strength in order to hit my marathon goal. So I’m doing Bonnie Pfeister’s “At Home Butt & Leg Workout”. I defy any man to go through three sets of this workout. It’s literally a staggering workout. I do it in the gym, but the beautiful thing is, you can do it while watching TV or in a hotel room.

Apre Race

After the race the gang hung out at the Blue Ocean Pavilion and had a few Smuttynose “Finest Kind” IPAs. When we walked into the bar there was a line but the bar was packed with cups of nectar. I grabbed two and walked into the middle of the room, in front of the stage. My buddies Kevin and Brian were right behind me. They decided to take up a post right across from the bar. I was okay with that.

We ended up being about the last people to leave. When we walked out, the bar was clear. A job well done. and yes, we had a designated driver.

Run well my friends.

Andy