Race Report, St. Patrick's Day 2007

I've been blessed with excellent health during my running life. I've battled one bout of Achilles tendinitis and pulled a calf muscle during half marathon training. Both happened early in my running life and were due to overtraining. That sore calf will announce its presence (though not with authority) from time to time, which is where my body was for the St. Patrick's Day 10K and 2-miler in Manhattan, Kansas in 2007.

Our race was run in conjunction with an army unit in Tikrit, Iraq. Fort Riley Army base is right down the road from MHK. 

I was on the back side of healing up, so I chose not to run the 10K, which included a trip up Manhattan Avenue and back. Instead, I ran the two miler that wound around City Park. The First Lady used to live near the park, so I'd go run there often. The race started and ended in the Aggieville bar district, but the 10K went right toward the big hill and the short race hung a left toward the park.

This was one of the harder races I've run, since there were so many entrants on such a narrow course. Lots and lots of kids, since one of the purposes is to get them tired so you can take them home. Part of the way through I started to realize my calf wasn't going to be a concern, so I worked on getting around people, but the big crowd made it tough to get around other runners. My finishing time was a solid 17:54. I even scored a ribbon for my effort. I don't remember why, since I finished 155th out of 360. Ann had her own cheering section, as she had friends who lived above a bar near the start, and they cheered her as she started the race.

This race was similar to how one of my Tuscaloosa Mayor's Cup races went. Go in with a balky wheel and just see what you've got, then realize all is well and put the hammer down. Both events became good efforts for me.