Today was Race 26 - The Spring Lake Five, one of the best races in the country and certainly the premier race in New Jersey. This race attracts over 9,000 runners and is well organized with plenty of food and drink afterwards. You also get a free burger or hot dog at Bar A where the post race party continues.
My plan today was to run hard and take tomorrow's 10 miler 
easier. I wanted to be in the first few rows at the start but was tardy (bathroom stop) so I paid the price in the form of a 7:15 first mile. I thought I would be able to run a sub 33 or very close to it but after that slow start, I knew it would be very difficult. I was laying catch up the whole race running a 6:30 2nd mile and a 6:34 3rd mile, 6:44 4th mile and I finished with a 6:30 for a 33:35. This a tough race to score well unless you are right up front, but I was still happy with the time. It was my fastest Spring Lake time in years. Ken "Senator" Vercammen finished with a 31:30 earning him a Spring Lake coffee mug for finishing in the 100. Dale ran a 39:54 while Frosty ran a 56:34.
My brother in law Dale came in for this race and we were meeting up with the Senator, Jerry Fennelly, Jack Frost, Dennis Laker, Anthony Merola, and a few others (see banner pics). The weather cooperated and gave us a rather cool morning with a touch of fog. The start is always somewhat of a fiasco because of the crowd size but this year they were using the chip to alleviate the crowding at the finish. It also gives you a more accurate time and won't penalize you for the crossing the starting line late.
My plan today was to run hard and take tomorrow's 10 miler 
easier. I wanted to be in the first few rows at the start but was tardy (bathroom stop) so I paid the price in the form of a 7:15 first mile. I thought I would be able to run a sub 33 or very close to it but after that slow start, I knew it would be very difficult. I was laying catch up the whole race running a 6:30 2nd mile and a 6:34 3rd mile, 6:44 4th mile and I finished with a 6:30 for a 33:35. This a tough race to score well unless you are right up front, but I was still happy with the time. It was my fastest Spring Lake time in years. Ken "Senator" Vercammen finished with a 31:30 earning him a Spring Lake coffee mug for finishing in the 100. Dale ran a 39:54 while Frosty ran a 56:34.
I love the post race massage and even did a pre race stretch as well. After a few banner pics by race we headed over to Bar A. There we met Rebecca who created a website call postraceparty.com where runners can go to leave comments about races and rate them. She gave us a beer cozie and I gave her one of Bob's 50@50 official t-shirts. I love the idea because I think good races should be rewarded and poorly run events need to improve. With money tight for all, the runners can now be smart with their entries. I will get the word out to my runners and talk up her site.
After the game I headed home, showered and then made my way to Readington to help coach my son's travel baseball team. They took both games today.
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