Oh, so close

Saturday agenda-Zonta abc 5k

It's been awhile since I've been to Key West, so when gool ol' Jon said he was going, I was game. There was a 'closer' race in Wellington. He liked the odds on this one, therefore I invoked the 'been there, done that' (Bell) rule. We hoped to finish 1,2 but not! However, we were oh, so close. We did finish 1,2 in terms of those from Miami. Since there was only top overall & top master, we both got bumped to age group; we were on top in our respective categories. He was 2nd to the overall winner, while I was 2ns to the master winner that he edged out. I had to fight hard in the mile to get past another runner from Miami in order to gain that position. Except for the wind, the weather was nice. Not much to eat for me but plenty of water. Small marble plaques were given to the overall race, master & age groups; ribbons to 2nd & 3rd age groups.

Sunday agenda-lifestyle 5k

This was in conjunction with a health expo (that began the previous day)& various ancillary activities (spinning, push up contest, etc). Timed by split second & organized by a friend I met at the independence day duathlon, this event drew nearly 200 finishers. For the 1st time, I volunteered at the registration table until 15 minutes prior to start. My goal: break 19 & take the master title. Here's the break down. At start, I was maybe in 10th place. By mile 1, I was in the top 5. Mile 2, I was basically up against the same guy I beat for the master title last week. However, this time & to my surprise, it was for the grand prize-overall! Even though he never fell behind me (always lead), we were basically neck to neck until about a half mile from the finish. Unfortunately for me, me legs began to tighten from apparent anaerobic activity (lactic acid buildup), forcing me to back down. I was oh so close to being the best. To my dismay, I squandered my opportunity to win the entire race & allowed him to vindicate himself; oh well. I consoled myself with the fact that he usually is faster than me & he focused all his energy on this race, having not raced the day prior as I. The top overall & masters got similar plaques, while the age groupers got nice ribbons. This was oh, so close to being a 5 star flash race (4).

Honorable mention

My buddy Mike placed, as I, 2nd overall in a triathlon!