2016 Bay Days 5 Mile Run

Bay Days 2016
Big empty tent.

42nd Annual Bay Days Run
Start: 8:30 am
Official time: 35:28
Place in division: 4/35
Place overall: 99/526
Pace: 7:06

Previous Best: 36:16 (Bay Village 2013)

Rose at 6 AM, my last night alone for a long while, I hope. Breakfast, two fried eggs over toast. Brought a granola bar for the drive across town.

The time has come, I now know absolutely no one at this race. I do not recognize any of these people, not even the doughy, graying guys cheering us on from the sidewalks, the ones that are probably in their late 40s, they didn't go to school here, they moved here after making it, to raise kids, when Lakewood got too ethnic.

Decided not to use headphones this year, which I regretted almost instantly when the pack thinned out. I was just bored. But I wanted to run fast, so I did. I crushed it. And for my efforts achieved a personal best.

But dammit, I came in fourth in my division the last time I ran this race.

It was pleasantly overcast until the second mile when the clouds opened up and it got hot for a while. I was thirsty, this in spite of drinking a lot before the start. Both water stops almost choked me, because I tried not to slow down, at all.

By mile four I started feeling a little ill. Probably a hydration thing, maybe a running too fast thing. I wasn't keeping my own time, and there was only someone counting off pace at the first mile (7:22 at that point, not bad) so I just kept pressing on, and apparently getting faster.

We get fans.

Around the four and a half mark, I saw and heard Chelsea, Chennelle and Shaun on the sidewalk with a big sign reading, GO OFFICE DAD! (Dave's replacement kid squad).

Big, happy sigh. I am very grateful for supportive friends. We met up at the finish line, I choked down one of those electrolyte drinks (chocolate mint, sounds gross but much better than the fruit flavored ones) changed into some dry clothes and headed off to Bob Evans for breakfast.

On my way across town I stopped in at Mom's place. She'd been to the Lakewood parade and told me about that, and we just talked about everything we'd been up to, memories of the past, just the whole thing, just sitting out on her porch. No idea how long I was there, at least an hour. Very relaxing.

Dad ran the Bay Days Five Mile many times, and so I made a special effort to be there today. But I don't think I'll be running this race again. My favorite things are no longer there. They haven't been for a very long time. Perhaps they never were.