2003 & 2004
2003-56:05, 6th overall
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| Wish I could run this fast and get these gas prices back! |
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| My family! |
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| This just might have been the best part of the Blessing! |
2004-56:34, 11th overall
If I tried to give detailed race descriptions from 2003 and 2004, I'd probably be making them up. In 2003 I had just graduated Westfield State and was just happy to have a break from college running. I don't remember having any specific goals but had a summer job in Rhody and figured I'd give this big summer race a shot. I remember feeling really strong out there and the miles just rolled by. Crowd support was awesome and my entire immediate family and some extended family came down to cheer me on and enjoy the seafood fest.
While I don't exactly remember the weather, I do recall "suffering" more in 04 due to the weather. I still ran a solid result and was up there in the overall rankings.
2016 & 2018
Years have past, things have changed, and father time has not waited this man. Upon moving to Rhody in 2007, my running was really limited due to injury. I started to get back into racing again late in 2010 and I've been back out there since. For years, I avoided running The Blessing for a variety of reasons. Here are the big ones: matching my previous results, the heat and humidity that were almost guaranteed, and night racing. All three of these reasons were major deterrents and still are to this day. Meanwhile, a solid group of WTAC runners were making either annual or almost annual trips down to the Friday night summer showdown in Gansett. I closely followed and admired their results and suffering. Finally in 2016 I decided to make a go for it and figured it would be "fun" to join my friends out there.
2016-1:00:15, 31st
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| 2016..heat felt brutal. |
My ideal goal in the 2016 race was to break 60 minutes. Based off comparable race times and my training, I figured it was a reasonable and in my wheelhouse. To me, the 2016 was extremely hot and humid and I just tried to take on water whenever I had the opportunity. With my race result only being about 15 to 20 seconds off my goal, I was not particularly upset or enthused post race. It was a race that went well enough and was "fun" to leave me wanting to come back someday to break 60 minutes.
Due to a variety of circumstances, my spring and early summer running has been on the light side in 2018. As this summer approached, I reminded myself that one of the things I love most about running is racing. I ended up deciding to give Blessing 2018 a go and quietly hoped for a solid result. I knew I didn't have a string of solid weekly mileage in place or long runs, but also thought there was possibility to get lucky on a fairly flat course with some good competition. On the flip side, I felt like there was an even better possibility of hazy, hot, and humid weather, which could impact my result.
As for the 2018 race itself, I flat out struggled. After cruising through what felt like an easy first mile in about 545, I struggled for the remainder of the event. I did not deal well with the heat and humidity out there and felt generally weak. On a positive note, I ran a strong last mile and was even able to muster together a kick to catch and pass another runner that went by me around mile 8. Once I finished the race, I caught my breath and made sure to seek out some of my WTAC buds to hear about their performances. Matthew ran to an awesome 6th place, while JV ran strong as usual, and Jeff ran his 15th straight Blessing at a controlled pace while battling an injury. On a personal level, I did not regret running the race but felt dejected with my performance, how I felt out there, and how much I have declined since my glory days.
Post race thoughts:
-Jeff ran his 16th straight Blessing. My first was in 2003 and I'm pretty sure that was his first year as well. Impressive streak!
-My time difference between my 03 and 18 performance was 4 minutes and 59 seconds.
-Between the first week of April and until the second week of July, I did not run over 40 miles a week. This is actually a positive, not because it's low mileage, but as a reminder that my volume was down for the 2018 race.
-Matthew's 6th place 2018 place matched my 2003 place. His time beat mine by 35 seconds. All good things ahead for him as he heads off to UNH and competes in future races.
Leaving the race, I questioned myself why I continue to run races like this one? The performance drop off is straight up demoralizing an it's not like I wasn't trying out there. Is my body 15 years older? Yes. Is my ability really 5 minutes slower than 2003? I sure hope not. Will I race the Blessing again? Not if it was next week but I do think I'll be back. Can I still run this race in under 60 minutes? I think so...with the right conditions and solid training.
Father time waits no man. We are all lucky to be able to do this sport and should enjoy running, racing, and life while we can.
Count Your Blessings!
