My 5.55K PR - and First Ever Running Medal!!!

The fastest and greatest race of my life, hands down. The weather was perfect, I was well-rested, psyched and feeling really good. We busted out of the starting gate in a hurry, but the immediate hill quickly weeded out the hacks while the elites left them all in the dust. Halfway up that hill, I was in 2nd place, with the leader 20 feet in front of me, and I thought, "Is he not going that fast, or am I faster than I think I am?" I think it was a combination of both. Once the hill was done, I was passed by 3 runners (Ovits, Gamss, Bresler), and these positions held all the way till the finish, proving how ridiculously difficult that hill is, and how it really does separate the chaff from the wheat.

Mile 1: Finished, including The Hill, in 7:17.

Mile 2: 6:35, I repeat, 6:35. I don't think I've ever gone faster for a mile during a race.

Mile 3: 6:44. I hit the mark in 20:38, 6:53 per mile to that point.

Mile 3.1. I hit the 5k mark at 21:20, obliterating my 5K PR by 33 seconds, still holding on to the 6:53 pace, 9 seconds per mile faster for any 5k I've ever run.

Then a kid in front of me dropped his yarmulka. As I passed, I said, "Oops, that'll slow you down a bit." I didn't mean anything by it. However, he put on his yarmulka, bolted past me, and said, "Bye!" as he did so. He forgot the number 1 rule of Martin Bodek's Competitive Running Club: You do not trash Martin Bodek, else he will thrash you. So I thrashed him and kicked his skinny little punk-ass as I motored past him and left him flagging in my wake.

Mile 3.45: I thundered across the finish line in ‎23:49! 5th place! 1st in my age group! first racing medal of my life! 6:54 per mile! Woohoo!

http://ourplace5k.jrunners.org/jrunners/cute_editor_uploads/JRunners5KRunforOurPlaceMensRaceResults.pdf