2013 Trott Off Your Turkey

November 30, 2013
5k
Barrington, RI

Almost DNF, Almost worse

I finished this race out of stubbornness. My last 5k was a week ago, and I felt great pushing 6:45 pace. This time, I felt great running 6:30. And I ran 2 miles at that pace. I was keeping an eye on my heart rate, staying below 180, and everything seemed to be working as well as it has in the past 2 1/2 years.

One of the fun things about having a bum heart is you never know when it's going to get tired of this running thing and call it quits. This was one of those times. The second of those times.

This time, I was fortunate enough to have my own personal Thumper that shocks me back into shape. I've never felt this before, and I wasn't prepared for what it would do to me. I remember running up a small hill just after mile 2, and starting to feel unusually lightheaded. I knew something was wrong, so it walked to the side of the road. A few seconds later, I was hit with a shock that felt like something exploded in my chest and went out through my head.

I knew what happened, and I knew either everything was fixed, or I would get a few more and probably pass out. I was pretty far ahead in the group, so I figured there would be someone running along and a crowd running eventually that might help. But I was also in the worst part of the race course, 1 mile from the finish, nowhere near a home or spectator or cell phone.

I just walked and waited.

Eventually, I figured I wasn't going to get another shock and my heart had come out of fibrillation and recovered. I could say I was relieved, but I was actually pretty pissed to see all these runners passing me, all the hard work I had done drift away. Probably pretty unreasonable, but I wasn't exactly thinking straight at the time. I shuffled through the finish in 28 minutes, and made my way to my car.

A week later, I received a printout of what was going on with my heart during this episode. If you give a kid a pen and ask him to scribble a line up and down a paper, that's what I looked like, with big, squiggly gaps in between. It's scary, but Thumper worked. Now I just have to wait and see what caused this to happen this time, after all the running and workouts and races I've run over the past few years.

I've got some time off to figure this out.

2013 14th Annual Gear N Beer 5k

November 24, 2013
5 k
21:03
6:47 Pace

This was a chilly day to be wearing shorts. But I figured I'm only running a few miles. Temps were in the 20's with a strong wind, and I didn't know the route at all.

The race starts with a steep uphill, and winds around the neighborhoods of the Mews Tavern. It was all reasonable until mile 2.75, where runners practically stopped to climb a ridiculous hill just before the finish. I kept my pace until then, and was happy with my progress. Having picked it up knowing the end was near, I was now just concentrating on keeping my heart rate under control and under 200. I made it up the hill and cruised down to the finish.

The post race party was one of the best I've seen for a 5k. Lots of food, lots of beer, and lots of people sticking out the cold. Definitely a race to visit again next year.

2013 Narragansett Blessing of the Fleet

July 26, 2013
10 Miles
1:15:51
7:35 Pace

This race was a blast! I had been wanting to make the trip down to South County for years, and it finally worked out. The weather was perfectly overcast, with a little drizzle, and just cool enough to run comfortably in July.

The field of runners was over 2,000, with plenty of good competition. The route winds through the town, along the beach, and back through some quiet parts of town. But there is no quiet part of town on race day. Being a Friday night and part of a weekend celebration, really brings out the crowds. Lots of BBQ and people cheering us on.

My goal for the race was to run 1:15, and I came pretty close. After a busy first mile, I settled into 7:30 pace and more or less, just kept going. There were no big hills, but 10 miles still gets a bit long for me at that pace. I was happy with my last mile, being able to pick up the pace and a few places.

As it turns out, this might be my only long race of the year, and I'm happy with the experience.

2013 Red Rooster Ramble 5 Mile Road Race Series-Week#1

Warren, RI
April 4, 2013
36:41
7:21 Pace

Another year begins at my favorite local course. I run most of this route a few times a week, and know every subtle hill along the way. Today was chilly and windy, but the sun was out and there was a good crowd.

This was my first fast run in a long time, and I'm pretty happy with my time. I'm going to keep working at it until I get down to 6 something pace. Track workouts have started again, and the good weather means more miles.