Running Mania

It was a nice day for a race. A little cooler and cloudier than promised. Met up with Maniacs in the parking lot, the men's room, and section 122. What a crowd, always some new faces, that's great. After people lined up to touch my pants, we were off to the start line. Fast first K (4:38) but then I settled down to my goal pace. The race flew by for the city section, I met Alfie from Pickering on the route. Then it was Lx2run around 8K, and Mike Runs joined us in Tin Pan Alley. I was enjoying the race a lot more than last year. In '06 it was my most stressful and least successful race of the year, ending up in calf cramps and walking. This time was fun! I backed off my pace it seems from 18K to 25, the early hills. They seemed easy, but I was purposefully trying to pace myself. In retrospect maybe a little too conservative through here. 10 seconds per K times 7 K = over a minute, hard to get that back. I was treating this as a "B" race, and it showed here. Still fun though, high fived all the characters on the sidelines. The big hill barely existed for me. I saw my old friend on his bike at the 20 K mark, and then he showed up at the top of the hill around 267 K and biked beside me on the way in. Said he saw an old running buddy, who was half an hour behind me. They had won a relay in Buffalo back in the day, getting a trip to a race in NYC as a prize, and today I was out front of him! I picked it up down the stretch, lots left, doing a 4:35 for my last split. I had hoped for a 2:30 time, came in at 2:30:19 chip time, I'll take it. Solid 5 min/K pace, had fun, met some great folk. Here's a pic, thanks CK. I did get a few comments on my tights.
Revenge is sweet!

Congratulations, on another awesome race, Sheldon .... OMG You are definitely one diesel machine, that keeps racing and racing and racing and racing ...

Way to go Doonst. Another one down.

Great picture of you Doonst, notice how you are on your own though.

Good racing Doonst, way to beat that course up this year.

Nice work! What a treat to see the tights make an appearance!

Way to go! Great run and I was really impressed by the tights. They make my CWX tights look lame by comparison!

Tony in Markham

Doonst...

As your Official Fan...you did me proud...and I have to say you look pretty darn cute in those tights...

Your race performances just keep getting better and better...wonderful to see. It was great chatting with you at Lightening's......I am so looking forward to being on the NCM course cheering you and other Maniacs on

Well done! And those tights look fabulous!

sweet!

do you charge to let people touch them?

I read this report when it was posted but wasn't immediately able to respond; I'm still getting over the "people lined up to touch my pants" thing. Another great race, Sheldon. I may have caught up to Sheldon circa March 2006, but I doubt we'll be competing in real time anytime soon. You're going to smoke your marathon, big guy!

I was one of the people who took advantage of the Luck of the Orange and touched the pants. Just Doonst's calf, mind you.

Great race, Doonst! Congrats on your first 30K race.

Oh, and thanks for being the parking ticket broker between me and Robbie-T!

I'm sure touching your pants helped me perform!

Great race report! And nice finish right on target!!

Hey, I saw those pants flying across the finish line. Hubby and I thought you MUST be a maniac so we cheered extra loud for you. 2:30:19 is an awesome time. Congratulations on a great race Doonst.

Great race, Sheldon. Must have been those aerodynamic tights. Way to come back and conquer the demon.

Great result for a B race Sheldon. I guess those tights will not be making the trip to NCM. That's too bad...

Excellent photo, to go with that excellent performance. Look out Nation's Capitol!

Finish time: I like.
Pants: Me no like.

Sheldon, your are what weekend warrior racing is all about. Congrats!!!

Doonst! I loved your race report, i loved touching your pants! (And, I believe, I was the first to do so, wasn't i?) I got so close, I even checked the stitching on the hem and the way the scales were placed!

dgrant wrote:Finish time: I like.
Pants: Me no like.

Somebody's jealous!

Sheldon, as always - great run, and I am so sure that you will take the NCM course with all the steady concentration that you've shown in all of the races you've done in the past year...

Great run Sheldon!

You'll do fantastic at NCM!!!!!

Great race! Great pants! (Don't listen to Dave!)

I am disappointed though that I didn't get to see you and touch those pants too! It sounds like it was a great experience!

Nice race report Sheldon. I'm sorry I didn't see you run by at the relay point.

You rock Sheldon... and frankly so do those tights. Hope you wear them in May... congrats on a great race.

NCM won't know what hit it when you blow through that course.

Nice run Sheldon.

I tried to real you in in the last 3K but you had more left in the tank then I did. Take it as Vulture Revenge. Maybe next time.