32nd Annual Clamdigger Road Race

Sunday, 4-7 - 5.5 Miles (Road/Trail) - 32nd Annual Clamdigger Road Race + extra stuff.  Loaded up the truck with supplies early, and headed down to Avondale to get set up.  With 128 pre-registered, and great conditions expected at racetime, I was thinking we might hit 200 entrants?  Mike B. and Muddy were already there, and both admitted they're driving their families crazy since their injuries...my sympathies...

Once 10 a.m. hit, the trickle of entrants became a flood, and I lost track of time as I was in "pre-reg. mode" at the table until Mike walked by and said "Do you know what time it is???"  Ummm...10:50, crap!  And I'd been sipping on a coffee for the last hour and a half, so the dilemna:  Hit the extra long line at the porta-potties, or get a quick warmup in and suffer the race with a full bladder.  Yup.  Skip the warmup run, and got to the start line at 10:58?

The only time before the race I could snap a pic...great turnout!!!

Gun goes off and I get off to a decent start and felt pretty good, although without the warmup I was breathing pretty hard pretty quick.  Settled into a good pace and PR'd my 1 mile time, awesome!  I didn't feel 100% though...got heckled by Mike B. who was flagging at the first major turn...and my WTAC crew was leading the top 5-6 spots at the 2-mile mark?  FiveK comfortably leading, with Jeff a short ways behind, followed by Riyan L., Mark W. and so on...great showing!

I came across at 22:26 officially, in 29th place...My splits were pretty even, and I beat my time on the same course from last Fall, but came across the line with my 2nd fastest 5K showing?  Not quite the goal, but not bad!


The chowder provided by C.C. O'Brien's was supremely, incredibly good...needed to be said!

After a short trail-to-road cooldown with FiveK, we got back just in time for awards.  Tom was the winner with a time of 16:49, and received a plaque and a four-pack of Grey Sail Porter and etched glass (I love beer awards!).  Thanks for hooking me up with one of the porters!  Almost everyone stuck around for the awards, which was cool, then we did a quick cleanup and got outta there.  Big success!!!

I was in charge of trash detail, and drove straight to the transfer station, which of course was closed, so on the way back to the house I decided to "treat myself" to a short but hilly trail run on Cossaduck Hill, and snagged another course record in the process, cool stuff:



Short mileage tomorrow, then shooting to do a long run Tuesday...Get a big mileage week in, then dial it back until the TARC.