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23rd Annual Race for Open Space 5km

June 29, 2024 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: Cool upper 60, partly cloudy

Comments:
JB had been nudging me for months to run and I convinced myself that it would be good for my summer training if I did the 5k as a training race. Lew, Leah, Anna, and Catalina all registered to walk the 2mile. JB and Sage both ended up opting for the 10km and ran 56:40ish together. Not sure any of the distances were accurate. Anna and Cat ended up 2nd and 3rd across the finish line of the walk as they ran the last few minutes.

Warm up was a drive there, a casual, stiff 9 minutes of jogging, 5 seconds of butt kicks, 5 seconds of high knees, and one strider. Took off pretty controlled across the mostly sandy two-tire track lanes that surround the cranberry bogs mid-island. Passed half a dozen over the first 1200meters and then was alone, 20 seconds back from the top 10 runners for the rest of the run, except for one who dropped hard past me with half a mile to go. I was pretty content not going after them and just staying in the hard tempo mindset throughout. I was working plenty hard and it took a lot of focus to maintain. Built over the final mile probably and there was a decent kick despite no one within reach. Felt like just what I needed... a chance to push on a slow surface in a pretty setting with good weather and no consequences. Finished 9th, although the official results include a husband and wife in their fifties who must have gotten lost or just strolled across the finish line mat in the 17 minute range... so no age group prize (hat) alas. I want to believe the time, but suspect we were half a minute or more short of 5km. After chatting with Asia, a young Bee, I jogged 20 more minutes to cheer on walkers, 5km runners, and 10km runners, eventually joining JB and Sage for their final 1200m. Spent the next two hours cooking chicken cheesesteaks for a dozen relatives and then drove to NYC. A little stiff and my feet feel like I'd run on lump gravel instead of loose sand.

Met one current Bee, a former Princeton runner who asked if I'd run for Donnelly, and a current SFS harrier.