A new 5K and my big fat Greek dinner

I was watching Ina Garten last night on the Food Network and she was making a Greek dinner for some friends. She made lamb kabobs, spanakopita and a Greek salad. My wife Ro loves Greek food so I knew that was going to be what I would make for dinner. I enjoy cooking the same day I run a race. I feel it completes the circle for me.

After the Run with the Vikings 5K I received an email from Dana Miller who was in the middle of organizing a 5K for the PTO of the Constable Elementary School in Kendall Park, not to far from my house. I pride myself on knowing just about every race in NJ but was not aware of this one which was so close to my home.

Dana called me to talk about the logistics of organizing a road race and was at the RWTV5K and knew her race was not going to be anything like that. In fact, she just wanted to keep it to the school kids, parents and maybe a few locals. I wasn't sure how that was going to work, but when she told me she was only getting 100 t-shirts and there would be no awards and no scoring, I figured it would suffice for her needs which was to raise some money for the PTO. She told me she already had 75 runners signed up and since she really didn't market the race she was only looking to attract 100 runners.

At $20 per runner, she would gross $2,000 and then spend $300 for t-shirts and another $100 or so for food. As fundraisers go for schools, this would be a nice event. I mentioned the race to my running friends who lived in the neighborhood, but was afraid to broadcast it to others for fear they might not be happy if they knew the course wasn't measured, and they would not have any trophies or accurate timing.

I kind of like the small races but I like it when the courses are USATF certified. I hate running slow or fast based on a long or short course.

I was thinking about running to the race from my house which would have been a first but wasn't sure where I would put my change of clothes. It is a good thing I took my car because I don't think there were any bathrooms available. I actually drove back home at 8am, 30 minutes before the start to do my business. I made it back by 8:20 and feeling lighter.

I checked out the crowd to see if I had any competition and there was one or two guys that could be fast and two young kids that were on the track team. Since there were no age group trophies, I had to actually win the race. I have never won a race outright and I often wonder how I would react if I had to run step for step to the finish. This could be my lollipop race.

It was a friendly crowd and I recognized a few faces from the Viking 5K. I was the only guy in shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt. Most of the runners thought the 40 degree temp was "too" cold. John Liptap and I ran the course earlier in the week so I could get an idea how it was. It was a hilly course but one I liked. We have run parts of the course on previous training runs so I was somewhat familiar with it.

My plan was not to go out too fast but size up who took the lead and keep close to them and maybe I would be able to out kick them. The 2 young track kids went out pretty fast and this 30 something guy who didn't look like a guy who could run in the 20's for a 5K. I was pushing pretty hard early on and those two kids looked like they were cruising. I knew at this point it would be difficult for me to win unless they faded. The 30 something guy was giving me a run, but when I got near him at the top of a small hill, I could hear him gasping for air so I knew he wasn't going to be an issue.

At mile one I was a few yards back from the kids but my heart rate was at 164 and that is usually my peak so I knew I couldn't keep that pace. At 1.5 miles I surged to the lead and was running well. It was the latest I have ever been in the lead of a race and it felt good. The boys were chatty and quickly regained the lead. I was near them at mile 2, but from there this one kid pulled away and I was now solidly in third. The kid in second was fading a bit but so was I.

I ended up in 3rd and soon found out that I had won a turkey for my 3rd place effort. I thought that was cool and it made my morning. As it turned out, the kid in second ran the Viking race and ran 19:23 so I wasn't upset that I couldn't catch him. I ran a 20:33 for the day, but really not sure the course was accurate. I gave it a good effort and overall I think Dana did a great job. My one real critique was that she should have had awards for the top 3 male and female runners and had a ceremony. After the last runner finished, she packed up and left. It would have been nice to recognize the top runners and would not have cost too much.

Hopefully she will do this again next year and I offered to help and promote.

When I got home I started prepping dinner so I would have very little to do later. I was making spanakopita which is spinach, onions and feta in a phyllo dough pastry. I have never worked with phyllo dough and soon found out it is difficult. It is so thin and delicate. The lamb kabobs became a challenge because I couldn't find lamb at the supermarket. I had to go to the Pennsylvania Dutch Market which had plenty of it. They even cubed it for me. The Greek salad was easy.

Making the spanakopita took some time but it was really good. I made too much of everything but will enjoy the leftovers. I marinated the lamb in a yogurt, lemon and rosemary mix for about 6 hours. It cooked up nice on the grill. All the recipes come from Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa fame. I like they way she cooks and all her food looks great. I am glad I gave it a try. Ro loved the salad and the spanakopita which made me happy.