Cinco De Mayo 8K(+)

So the Cinco De Mayo 8K race was supposed to be an attempt to dip under 32:00 for the first time this year. That was the plan going in anyways.

Due to some "minor course changes" related to some requests by the Detroit Police, the course was changed to what they thought would be exactly 8K. Let's just say that next year they should really think about using more than 3 course marshals and maybe using the measuring wheel to bring back down to 8K.

The race was supposed to start at 10:30AM. There WAS a strong wind at our backs for 35 minutes, and the race was point to point...the temperature was cool, you couldn't ask for better conditions. 11:15AM and the motorcycle police finally stop showing us that they can do figure 8's with their bikes. Oh yeah, the wind has now shifted to directly in our face, and it's steady at about 25mph. A great time to start the race...after the perfect conditions are gone.

Within the first mile, I knew there wouldn't be any splits given at mile markers, but hoped that at least if there were markers, they would be accurate. The only marker I saw was the 3 and 4, 19:10 and 25:35 respectively. Before the 3 we turned off Vernor and headed in the direction that a course marshal pointed. Unfortunately only a few of us turned the wrong way. It added about 400meters to the run. Imagine running two legs of equilateral triangle only to find out that everyone else behind this group went straight along the base...which was the right way to go. 2.5 laps around this block and you were finished....the first lap wasn't very promising.

Lap two was just as exciting. The parade that was to follow immediately after the race started drawing a large crowd. This large crowd wanted their spot along the parade route...aka, the race route. Imagine lots of folding chairs, kids wagons, and people that don't realize their are in the way. Not so much fun if you're the runner that doesn't like hurting innocent people. There were at least 4 occasions where I needed to come to a complete stop because of people/cars/wagons/bikes...

blah blah blah

at the end of the race this guy looks over at me and gives me the signal that he wants to go, I signal it's okay for him to take off. We've got about 150 left, and he's not going to make it in, based on the way I hear him breathing. I give him three seconds and then I take off after him. I fly past him and cruise in to a 32:36 for the "8K". Mapping it out it came out to 5.25 miles with the misdirection. Considering the wind, the crowds, the misdirection, I still consider the run a good time. It was only 16 seconds slower than Chicago's Shamrock Shuffle, and I know that course is accurate.

Bottom Line: I'm in much better shape now. Things are going well.