As I heard while listening to gospel on the car radio, the radio personalities questioned, "who gave them the right to play God"? They were referring to the creation of daylight savings time, & worse, the decision to move the time sooner, without our, the voters, input. For the first time ever, the clocks 'spring' forward before the vernal equinox! However, without the power to resist, I shall do as Jorge Mas Canosa said, "adelante, adelante, adelante"!
Saturday agenda-Ocean drive 5k
Last year, I skipped this one in lieu of another due to its exorbitant fee but a good friend of mine, Steve, was able to get me & 2 other friends in at his company's more reasonable rate. Due to its late start (8:30), I contemplated doing another race up in Broward that started at 7, then try & rush down to do this one. However, I recalled that I failed to make it in time last year I did that, plus gasoline jumped up almost a quarter a gallon since the end of last month. Due to a greedy attendant, I had to move my car about 20 minutes prior to the start. By the grace of God, I made in time for the start. The course had many turns, plus a sharp 180 turn around in the first 2 miles, in addition to the fact that heat was nearly unbearable. I knew I had to pace myself until the straightaway, then I could pick up the pace if I still had some gas in my tank (energy). Before I began the race, I told everyone I'd be lucky to break 19 & I might not even place. When the dust cleared, the blessings were visible! Although barely, I broke my personal requirement, and despite the fact that time was not sufficient to take any master title, it was good enough to win my age group! The top prize (overall, master & age group)was a curved glass plaque (very beautiful), while 2nd & 3rd yielded medals. This one qualified as a flash race, having great amenities & a raffle. After I got home, I got some kind of stomach virus & was out the rest of the day with also a horrible headache.
Sunday agenda-Jim Richardson 5k
Although content with victory, I was not happy with my time. Unfortunately, I had been sick for about half a day & through the night & that disrupted my preparation for this race. I had nothing but a protein drink & snack since about 1-2 pm & did not get to carbo load. On top of that, I lost an hour due to the time change! Since God can grant miracles, this situation was overridden. I woke up feeling as though I had done my normal routine & felt loose & ready to run. This race was a normal start (7:30) & for some reason, was much cooler than yesterday;y'all know that works to my advantage. By mile 1, I was already out of contention for a master title, even though they went 3 deep! I had to be patient & rely on my now 16 years of experience, plus my co-pilot, God. By mile two, the battle was for the last slot & I had some ground to catch up. I had to remember my usual thought in the final mile, "I own this mile"! I managed to get past him (a master) & his submaster teammate to capture a title & shatter last year's time by a large margin. This also qualified as a flash race with its amenities. I enjoyed today's better than yesterday. They had 3 different types of drink besides sports; my favorite was OJ. They had the usual bagels, oranges & bananas, plus various granola bars & donuts. They didn't have a raffle. Best of all, all divisions had trophies. Top 3 overall & masters got a unique plaque/trophy. Although attendance was less than half of yesterday's race, the competition was much faster, forcing me to perform better. I praise the Lord for allowing me to spring forward from adversity (all that occurred previously).
Honorable mention
The Nunez family ran. Michael got 2nd, wife & son finished.
Saturday agenda-Ocean drive 5k
Last year, I skipped this one in lieu of another due to its exorbitant fee but a good friend of mine, Steve, was able to get me & 2 other friends in at his company's more reasonable rate. Due to its late start (8:30), I contemplated doing another race up in Broward that started at 7, then try & rush down to do this one. However, I recalled that I failed to make it in time last year I did that, plus gasoline jumped up almost a quarter a gallon since the end of last month. Due to a greedy attendant, I had to move my car about 20 minutes prior to the start. By the grace of God, I made in time for the start. The course had many turns, plus a sharp 180 turn around in the first 2 miles, in addition to the fact that heat was nearly unbearable. I knew I had to pace myself until the straightaway, then I could pick up the pace if I still had some gas in my tank (energy). Before I began the race, I told everyone I'd be lucky to break 19 & I might not even place. When the dust cleared, the blessings were visible! Although barely, I broke my personal requirement, and despite the fact that time was not sufficient to take any master title, it was good enough to win my age group! The top prize (overall, master & age group)was a curved glass plaque (very beautiful), while 2nd & 3rd yielded medals. This one qualified as a flash race, having great amenities & a raffle. After I got home, I got some kind of stomach virus & was out the rest of the day with also a horrible headache.
Sunday agenda-Jim Richardson 5k
Although content with victory, I was not happy with my time. Unfortunately, I had been sick for about half a day & through the night & that disrupted my preparation for this race. I had nothing but a protein drink & snack since about 1-2 pm & did not get to carbo load. On top of that, I lost an hour due to the time change! Since God can grant miracles, this situation was overridden. I woke up feeling as though I had done my normal routine & felt loose & ready to run. This race was a normal start (7:30) & for some reason, was much cooler than yesterday;y'all know that works to my advantage. By mile 1, I was already out of contention for a master title, even though they went 3 deep! I had to be patient & rely on my now 16 years of experience, plus my co-pilot, God. By mile two, the battle was for the last slot & I had some ground to catch up. I had to remember my usual thought in the final mile, "I own this mile"! I managed to get past him (a master) & his submaster teammate to capture a title & shatter last year's time by a large margin. This also qualified as a flash race with its amenities. I enjoyed today's better than yesterday. They had 3 different types of drink besides sports; my favorite was OJ. They had the usual bagels, oranges & bananas, plus various granola bars & donuts. They didn't have a raffle. Best of all, all divisions had trophies. Top 3 overall & masters got a unique plaque/trophy. Although attendance was less than half of yesterday's race, the competition was much faster, forcing me to perform better. I praise the Lord for allowing me to spring forward from adversity (all that occurred previously).
Honorable mention
The Nunez family ran. Michael got 2nd, wife & son finished.
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