Jersey Shore Relay & the Unite 9.53 Marathon

I was really looking forward to this weekend for a number of reasons. I was running two races, one hard and the other long but both with a number of close friends.

The Jersey Shore Relay Marathon is one of the best events put on by the JS Running Club. You get the run and drive along the Jersey shore from Seaside Heights to Asbury Park with four of your best running buddies. This years team consisted of Taugh Lynch, Chris Kelly, Tom Moritz and John Liptak. Tom and Chris were filling in for Dale and Ken. We were defending masters champs and looking to win for the 3rd year in a row. We also wanted to break the 3 hour barrier and with the new new guys, I really thought we could do it this time around. What we didn't factor in was the 30 mph winds whipping off the water right into your right temple. It was also a little on the cool side which made waiting for our team members slightly annoying, but at least the heavy rain that was predicted held off.

Taugh has been suffering with a sore knee, ran a good first 6.11 mile leg (44:12) handing it off to Chris who was our fastest runner. Chris ran the 6.22 mile leg in 42:25 then immediately got on his bike to ride 70 miles home to Somerset in the rain. Tom ran the 4.22 mile Pt. Pleasant to Manasquan leg in 32:25 and then handed it off to yours truly. I was running the Manasquan to Belmar 6.28 leg. Last year I was battling a virus that slowed me considerably, but felt really good this year and ran 36:44 for my leg. My run took me through a park on a gravel road and then through a park on a dirt/grass trail. The wind was blowing in my face for a bit, at my back then hitting me in the side of the head when I got on the boardwalk. I handed off to Johnny who was our anchor this year and at this point we thought we would certainly go under three hours for the 26.2. John's leg was 3.4 and just needed to run a 7 minute pace and we were good. The distances mentioned are from the race website, but are not nearly accurate so we had no chance. John's leg was closer to 4 miles and we finished in 3:03:21. I know my leg was not 6 miles because I knew I wasn't running a 6 minute pace. The drive through the streets following our runners was fun as usual but the third leg was a bit nerve-racking because we hit traffic due to road construction. We just got Tom to his spot before Chris got there.

I think we were a bit disappointed that we didn't break 3 hours but enjoyed the day. John and Tom split right after the race so that left Taugh and I to enjoy the post race food and beer. We met up with Mike W, Mark and Rosemarie Strawn and waited for the results. It was a little deflating to hear that the masters winners ran a 2:57 and we came in second. Oh well, there is always next year. It certainly was another great run along the Jersey Shore and missed the heavy rain by 30 minutes.








The Unite 1/2 Marathon would be my third 13.1 mile run in 5 weeks and I wasn't sure how my legs would feel after running hard the day before. Frankie Trentacoste was taking his zipcar into central Jersey along with his co-worker Katya. Frankie and I planned to run at least 4 halves this year together. This would be our second and we already have the Hampton 1/2 schedule in September.

This is the second year of the Unite 1/2 Marathon and many folks gave it rave reviews in its first year. The race runs through the campuses of Rutgers University as well as Johnson and Buccleuch Parks finishing on College Ave. It was overcast but at least the heavy rain that came on through the night before had finally stopped. It was a blessing but later turned out to be a curse as you will see as you read on.

Frank was running a bit late and I still had to get him his race number but I was happy to mingle with many of the RVRR runners. I ran into Gene who casually said to me "if I was ready to run 10 miles"? I was a bit confused, but he quickly said the course was shortened to 10 because of flooding at Johnson park and the Landing lane bridge. I was immediately disappointed, but then thought 10 miles would be better for me since I ran hard the day before. When Frankie finally arrived he shrugged off the change as "what are you going to do"? He was right and most folks seemed to be okay with it at the start, but that wasn't the sentiment at the finish.

Frankie and I moved as close to the front as we could and went off in the second wave. Since we were running 10, I was thinking I may be able to go at a 7:15 pace. Our first mile was 9:06 due to getting stuck in the initial pack. We picked it up for miles 2 & 3, running 7:20's. It is here where I started meeting up with may of my running friends. Mike W, Brian, & David Brockman. David is the race director of a new race in town, called Hugs for Brady.

By mile 4 my legs seemed to get a bit heavy and the wind was picking up. The course wasn't very hilly although the wind in your face was making it difficult. Miles 4 & 5 were a bit slower and mile 6 was tough as we running up a hill into the wind. Knowing that there was only 3 miles left gave me some confidence to push the pace to the finish. Frank was right by my side the whole way as we battled the wind and we both started picking up the pace.

When we got to mile 8, the course change came into play and mile 9 was over the bridge back into downtown New Brunswick. We were running a 7 minute pace at this point, but it was hard to tell since the mile markers were nowhere to be found. I was a little disappointed not see a mile marker at 9, but knew I was getting closer to the finish. When we hit College Ave, I had about 3/4 of miles to go, but volunteers kept saying that the finish was just around the corner. I hit the tape in 1:11:45, but the last mile was about 3:45 which was a bit confusing. Right after finishing, someone had a Garmin watch that said we ran 9.53 miles. At this point I was really disappointed. I don't mind the shortening of the course to 10 miles but to only run 9.53 was not good. Most folks at the finish were pissed. Frank's friend Katya finished in 1:32 and was not happy as well. Once we got over it, we headed to the food line and to get our bag check.

Frank & Katya headed home after hanging for a bit and getting a ride back to his zipcar. I headed over to the Corner Tavern on Easton Ave to meet up with the RVRR runners. The bar is a real dive but the company was fun as usual.

My thoughts regarding the Unite 1/2, too pricey, not enough giveaways, so-so post race food, too long of a wait for that so-so food, no enough water stops, no clocks at each mile and the course change. It was a Biblical rain so I don't want to kill them for the course change but they really should have tried to make it either a 15K or a real 10 miler. When you pay $85 to enter the race you expect a certain level of detail which I don't think the runners received. As of right now, I won't run this race again unless I get in for less than $40. I think I will try the Superhero 1/2 next year.

Race #500 - RunApalooza & the Rutgers 1/2 Marathon

I am really looking forward to this weekend of running. I will be running race #'s 500 and 501 of my 30+ years of running.

On Saturday, John, Taugh, Chris and Tom & I will be participating in the 15th annual Jersey Shore Marathon relay aka RunAPalooza. We are the defending master's champs and will be looking for our third win in a row. We had to make some late changes to our lineup because Dale & Ken, our anchor legs from the previous years won't be able to make it. Their spots will be filled by Tom & Chris, both very capable of running good times. John will now be our anchor this year, as we had to juggle the lineup slightly.

Taugh leads us off by running the first 6.1 leg, Chris will run the next leg of 6.5, Tom will run the 4.5 mile leg, I will be running leg #4 which is 6.2 and John will finish up with the 3.1 mile leg.

The relay marathon is put on by the Jersey Shore Running Club which organizes many races along the beautiful Jersey Shore. It is a day full of running with a 1/2 marathon option, as well as the choice to run the full marathon by yourself. If you haven't been part of a relay marathon or longer, this is the one to do. The camaraderie is great and there is a real sense of running your best for the team. We also have a blast riding in the car following our team member.

We have been fortunate to have won the masters category two years in a row which is not bad since the average age of the team is about 50 years of age and the masters age group starts at 40. There are mixed teams as well as a category for best costume. Last year there was a team dressed as the cast members of the Jersey Shore. Two years ago there was a high school team of girls dressed as super heroes as well as the cast of Gilligan's Island. I am sure the guys on our team wouldn't be caught dead running in a costume.

They stagger the starts based on predicted times with the hope that all teams finish about the same time, right around 12:30 - 1pm. Our start time has been 9:40 each year and we hope to break 3 hours this time around.

Afterwards there is a huge party at the Asbury Park Convention Hall. The race itself starts at Seaside Heights , hugs the coast and runs along the boardwalk where it can. We were fortunate to have two great days the last two years which makes the day that much more enjoyable. The after party is at the Wonder Bar across the street from the convention hall and full of Jersey Shore history.

On Sunday, I will be running the Rutger's Unite 1/2 Marathon which is in it's second year. I didn't run it last year because I ran the relay the day before, but all my friends said it was a very good race. I probably would not have run it this year because of the relay again, but I entered it before the relay and then realized it was the day after RunApalooza. I am running the relay hard and will run the

first 5 miles of the

1/2 easy and see how I feel. I will determine weather I can run faster than 8 min miles at that point.

I feel like I am in pretty good shape, but back to backs hard at 52 years of age are

not usually good for me.

Many of my friends from the Raritan Valley Running Club will be running it, but Frankie T is coming in from NYC to join me for this one. We ran the Sleepy Hollow 1/2 about 1 month ago together and hope to do the same again on Sunday.

We will also be running the Hampton's 1/2 Marathon in September.

The Unite 1/2 starts at the Sonny Werblin center

on the Rutger's Busch campus and finishes on George Street on the

College Avenue campus. There will be some hills but nothing major and I would have liked to run this race hard but just don't I will have it in me to do so.

Well, there it is,

19.8 miles of running in two days, with lots of friends and even more fun. I can't wait to post from each of these races.

No races, just cooking.

I took this past weekend off from road racing because I have two long runs coming up this Saturday and Sunday in order to give my legs a rest. I recovered nicely after my back to back 1/2 marathons last month, but that was on consecutive weekends, 6 days apart. These races are on back to back days and I want to be as fresh as possible for both.

This gave me more time to spend on my other passion, which is cooking. I have always been a fan of cooking shows going back to the days of the Galloping Gourmet aka Graham Kerr (I run, he galloped) and Julia Child. I was also a fan of Yan Can Cook and Lidia on PBS as well. I watch the Food Network often which usually gets me inspired to cook and eat whatever they are making that day. I especially like Giada, but will watch any Chef if they are making something I like or something I think my family will enjoy.

On today's menu was onion soup with an Italian twist, fusilli with sausage, artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes and a chocolate orange creme filled cookie.

I got back from my training run and was hydrating while watching Giada make these cookies and onion soup so decided to give both of them a try. They both looked rather easy which was important since I was also doing a spring clean up in my yard. I needed to get that done in between courses.

I was making the cookies for my daughter Leigh who is at the University of Delaware and the onion soup for my wife who was out coaching my son's soccer game about an hour away. I figured Ro would like the onion soup after spending almost two hours in the cool air on Sunday.

The fusilli dish was for dinner and I got that recipe on Giada's website as well. I was trying to get away from the traditional red sauce Sunday that my son Mike requested a few weeks back. We did that the last few weeks so I was itching for something different and needed to use ingredients I had in the house. One thing that is certain when I eat or cook, it is to try different dishes. I rarely go back to the same dish twice even if I loved it. I will do occasionally if I thought it tasted spectacular and one of my kids didn't get a chance to try it.

I won't go into the details of each recipe, but I enjoyed making the cookies the most and I think they came out the way Giada's did on TV. The dough was made with butter, sugar, cocoa powder, flour and cornmeal and a little orange zest. It was the first time I added cornmeal to a cookie recipe as you could taste the slight grit in each bite. The creme filling was powdered sugar, butter and more orange zest.

The onion soup went over well with Ro although Mike wanted no part of it, and the Italian twist was fontina cheese on top. Mike was fine with the no red sauce Sunday but shied away from the sun-dried tomatoes.. Mike is the most finicky of my three kids when it comes to food, although his tastes are still evolving.

The races next weekend are the Jersey Shore Relay Marathon on Saturday which the "Sons of Beaches" are the defending master's champs looking for their 3rd in a row. Sunday's race is the Rutgers Unite 1/2 marathon run through the streets of New Brunswick and the RU campus.

More on those races in a later post this week.

Indian Trails 15K

I was looking to run a race before the upcoming Jersey Shore Relay on April 16th and the Indian Trails 15K fit the bill. The main reason I wanted to run was I am approaching my 500th race of my career and I wanted the Jersey Shore Marathon Relay to be number 500. I had heard so much about the Indian Trails run, mainly the hills and the views. Chris Kelly was planning on running and suggested I run also.

I was hoping the weather would be better than the previous two weekends and it was perfect. The sun was shining with a slight breeze with temps in the 40s. I picked up the Senator at 7:15 and off we went to the race. Ken wasn't running but volunteering.

After getting my number and t-shirt, I met up with Chris, the RVRR runners, Mike W & Brian Borden. There were lots of familiar faces and many of the area's top runners. Race started at 9am and it went off on time. Mike W and I ran together for the first mile hoping to hit mile 1 in 8 minutes. We ran a 7:28 first mile which I thought at the time might have been too fast. It was a slight downhill start so that contributed to the fast start. I hit mile 2 in 14:47 and was feeling pretty good so I wasn't so worried about the pace. I figured I would go at this pace until I bonked knowing there would be some serious hills coming up.

The course and views were very nice and the hills were challenging. I slowed climbing most of the hills but picked it up on the downhills so it was evening out. I was hitting my splits at just under the 7:30 pace which was making me happy. At mile 6 I still was on the 7:30 but at mile 8 after a steep long hill I was now slightly over. When I crested the hill at Mile 8, I was breathing pretty heavy, but I knew the rest of the race would be mostly downhill.

I just didn't think it would be really downhill. I had the wind in my face going downhill but it felt good. I ran hard the last mile and finished the race in 1:09:25 which is a 7:27 pace. Not bad for a hilly course.

I was extremely happy with my time and the race. The awards took longer than they should have to be given out. Mike Dixon of RVRR was the overall winner in 49:46 which was a new course record being the first guy to go sub 50 on the hilly course. I was running on the RVRR open team which we came in 2nd behind Sneaker Factory.

Ken and I headed over to On the Deck in Atlantic Highlands with a bunch of other runners for a beer and some food. The place had great views of the bay, but was a bit too windy to enjoy on this day.

Sleepy Hollow 1/2 Marathon

Time 1:44:54
Pace 8:01
Place 135
Total Runners 567

I chose to run the Sleepy Hollow 1/2 Marathon just 6 days after running the NYC 1/2 because my man Frank Trentacoste didn't get into the NYC race. Frank had been training and I enjoy running with Frankie. A former co-worker, Brad Hunt lives in the area and he was training for it as well so I thought it would be fun.

I have run 38 half marathons but never on back-to-back weekends. Frank and I ran 1/2 marathons on the same weekend back in 2007 in Kansas City & Des Moines but we took them both at about 75%.

I took it easy this past week running trying to get some life back in my legs, but I did run 4 days and felt much better towards the end of the week.

My plan for the race was to go at least at an 8:30 pace but really wanted to run with Frank. Frank and I ran the Cherry Tree 10 miler in February at an 8 minute pace over a very hilly course so I knew he wanted to hit that pace. We both knew the course was going to be somewhat hilly so that was the unknown. Brad was planing on sub 10's which is a good pace for him.

My day started by picking up Frank at his apartment in NYC at 7:15 and then off we went to Sleepy Hollow. We arrived at the registration check in at 8:15am. On my way to Frank's, Brad Hunt sent me a text that it was 27 degrees. That did not make me happy since last week's race was also colder that expected as well. The wind was also fairly strong and there were about 4 miles along the Hudson which I figured would be uncomfortable. I don't mind the cold, but it was late March and I wanted temps in the 50's. I was even contemplating wearing long pants, but the sun was out and decided shorts all the way.

The Rivertown Runners, the organizers of the race did a fine job with the communication, registration setup, and volunteers. The had about 575 runners, a very large American flag, and the start and a downhill start.

Frank and I took it slowly the first mile and enjoyed running downhill towards the Hudson although the wind was swirling and my legs were cold. I missed the first mile split, but I think it was about 9 minutes. We ran along the water towards the lighthouse which was very pretty, but also windy. There was one point on the race course where we had to go single file through a gate right in front of the Lighthouse. Frank and I started to get into a groove after mile 4 as we headed into the neighborhood which is where the hills were hiding. It was up and down for the next 3 miles until we got onto route 9 which Frank correctly observed that it was slightly uphill. This part of the course was at least 1.5 miles but we knew had to turnaround and have the benefit of a nice downhill.

Now while on Route 9, I did something that I have never done in my history of 498 races, Frank and I rocked out My Way by Old Blue Eyes while running the downhill. The runners on the other side were certainly taking notice as well as runners we passing. They say if you can hold a conversation while running you are not running your hardest so singing must be have meant we were really slacking. After the duet, we picked up the pace and headed back into town. We started with the hills again as soon as well got off highway. There was one hill that was steep but my legs seem to be responding better than earlier in the race. Frank and I were still running together and he looked strong.

We hit mile 10 and a volunteer said we were done with the hills except for a few small bumps. Most of the time, volunteers just arbitrarily blurt out things like "no more hills" or "you are almost there" when they have no clue. This guy seemed to know the course. That gave me some confidence to pick up the pace a bit faster. Frank was game so off we went, hitting mile 11 at a 7:40 split time.

I looked at my watch and realized I could break 1:45 which was just about 8 minute pace. That was my immediate goal now. Frank was okay with me taking off so I started passing folks and hit mile 12 at 1:37. I had to really motor to break 1:45. The last mile was mostly downhill except for one decent hill. I hit it hard and ran hard towards the finish. I had passed this guy at the hill and when we got to the final straight away to the finish he tried to pass me but I turned it up a notch relying on my speed. He held on for about 50 yards then fell off the pace. It was good that he did that because I hit the tape in 1:45 on the nose. The official time was 1:44:54. Frank was 30 seconds back in 1:45:32. Brad fished up in 2:04:36 which was a 9:30 pace. He had said he would be happy with a 10 minute so I knew he had to be happy with his time.

It was about 11am at this point and it was still really cold. We changed into dry clothes and headed to the Horseman Restaurant right up the street from the start. The pancakes and bacon went down easy. I said bye to Brad and his family and drove Frank back into New York. I was headed into Brooklyn and still had some time to kill, so Frank took me out for a drink at the "Ear" bar on Spring Street. He said it was a landmark that dates back to 1817. The place looked as old but had lots of character. I had an Ear Bar Ale while Frankie had a Boddington which we both did not finish because we were both fading fast. I still had to drive to my mom's while Frank had to walk around the block.

After dropping Frank off, I headed to mom's. She was taking the family grandchildren out for her 84th birthday. The shower at her house revived me and it was good hanging with the family at dinner. My sister Mary picked a place called La Palina which was very good. I had the pork cutlet but really enjoyed the appetizers. After that, back to mom's for cake and coffee.

I headed home at 9pm, walked in the door at 10 and crashed. I was so tired but in a good way.

Next 1/2 marathon is the Rutgers Unite 1/2 on April 17th which is the day after the Jersey Shore relay marathon which just happens to be my 500th race of my running career. Number 499 will be the Indian Trails 15K on April 9th with Chris Kelly.

It looks like I am signing up for the Hampton's 1/2 in September which will be a week after the Philly 1/2, so another back-to back weekend of 13.1.



Hilly & Chilly - Nice course, great support & I will be back.
Story to follow

New York City 1/2 Marathon and then a vist to the Papaya King

Time - 1:42:39
Pace - 7:52
Place - 2,050
Finishers - 10,190

I went into the city to Friday to pick up my number and check out the expo. It was just average with only about a dozen vendors with nothing really special. I was meeting up with Taugh afterwards for a lunchtime run like the old days, but I still had about an hour to kill. I went looking for a Starbucks for a cup of coffee, but found something better, Bourbon Coffee. They had great coffee, it was spacious, and well designed.

After running 5.5 miles with Taugh up the east side like we did many times before, I headed for a quick NYC street food bite. My choice was Sam's Falafel near Liberty Plaza. The line was 15 deep and the guy next to him had no line, but I figured the line was there for a reason. I ate too many fried chick pea balls, but it was good, although probably not a good choice 2 days before the race.

Sunday morning, up at 4am, out of the house by 5am and parked in a legal spot on 9oth street at 6:15 all to run in the greatest city in the world. It is slightly overrated for me now since I have run plenty of times in Central Park and in NYC. From a logistically standpoint, even UPS can't help me make sense of why I do it.

The original plan was for Frank Trentacoste and I to enter the lottery figuring we both would get in and I would stay at his NY apartment the night before to make life easier. He did not get in and I did, so I was on my own, although Frank did offer up a room in his place.

The race from a financial standpoint is not cheap. The entry fee was $75, the cost to come in the city to pick up the number $30, then the tolls and gas driving to the race $25. Not to mention all the food I ate before and after the race.

I have to admit running through the streets of New York are very electric. I have run the streets of many cities, but only NY offers up enthusiastic crowds, even at 8am.

I parked on 90th so I would be near a NYSC so if I had bathroom issues, I would be able to take care of them. After parking the car, I walked over to the gym only to find out it opens at 7am, WTF. Plan B was the Starbucks across the street, but I just hoping others didn't have the same idea. I was also supposed to meet up with Dave DiCamillio at 6:45. I had plenty of time but it quickly went by as I made 3 bathroom stops. I ran to the corner where I was suppose to meet Dave, but I got there a bit late. He had already headed to the start. This race, because of the numbers and NYRR, they are very strict about getting into your appropriate coral. I waited for Dave near the start, but with so many people, it was difficult.

I was in coral 2 which was nice since I didn't have to wait to long after the gun. I didn't recognize one person at the race which is odd because I always see familiar faces. I think because they took 70% of the runners from outside the New York, most of the faces were literally foreign. It was a cold morning with temps in the low 30's, but I was dressed for 40's, maybe 50's. I brought gloves and a headband but left them in the bag I checked which was a huge miscalculation on my part. I was cold and standing around in the coral for 30 minutes didn't help. I had a 3rd layer on which I planned to chuck after I got warm.

My goal for this race was to run sub 8 minute pace with hopes of maybe hitting a 7:30 pace. Two years ago to the date, I ran the Shamrock 1/2 Marathon in Virginia Beach at a sub 7 minute pace during Bob's 50@50. That was 2 years ago and I was just getting back to running distance races so sub's 8 would okay with me.

The first 8 miles of the race would be in Central Park so that wasn't going to make running a fast race any easier. Mary Wittenberg, CEO of the NYRR thanked a few people then set 11,000- runners off to Battery Park. I didn't feel my legs for the first 3 miles and my hands were cold and I just wanted to get warm. Usually I warm up pretty quick, but I have to admit I never really got warm. With a 7:30 start, the sun was nowhere to be found and the tall buildings didn't help as well.

The course is one loop plus in the park and then out to the streets. The crowds were great near Times Square, but the wind was in our face and it was still very cold. I was happy to be out of the park and couldn't wait to get on the West Side because I knew it would only be about 3 plus miles to go to the finish and very flat.

I kept a sub 8 minute pace throughout the run in the park and started going a bit faster once I got to the streets. I started stopping to take some pictures and my mile 10 split was 8:53 because I was asking spectators to take pictures of me on the course.

Once I got to the West side, I tried to focus and finish strong. My legs were cold and getting tired. My feet also started hurting and also had a few twinges in my hamstrings and achillies. My splits were getting faster and I wanted to keep passing folks although a few passed me. The last mile seemed to take forever, but it was one of my fastest miles (7:34)so I know I gave it my all.

Soon after I finished I was greeted by Mary Wittenberg who was there to congratulate all runners which is really great. I took a picture of her and then she was nice enough to take one of me with the finish line in the background. Many years ago in Central Park, Fred Lebow was there to say hi to me and my kids after finishing a kiddie run.

It was nice to be done and I was happy to go sub 8's, actually 7:52, and I was just looking to get warm again. I quickly got my bag and changed into warm clothes. It was very windy and cold just past the finish line and many runners hovered near the sunnest spots. I looked and waited for Dave but then started heading uptown to go to the Papaya King. I had seen on TV that Papaya King had one of the best Hot Dogs in NYC so I wanted to try. All my years in Manhatan, I never went to Papaya King. I also planned on going to Jackson Hole for some pancakes, but couldn't find it. I ended up at the Barking Dog which was hopping with New Yorkers. I got the blueberry pancakes and then home I went.

It was good day although I wished I ran with Frank and I had at least met up with Dave. I hate running these long races alone. Frank and I are signed up for the Sleepy Hollow 1/2 on Saturday which I will probably take a bit easier since it is only 6 days after this race.

Here are my splits.

Mile 1	9.13
Mile 2	7.42
Mile 3	7.52
Mile 4	8.01
Mile 5	7.34
Mile 6	7.57
Mile 7	7.54
Mile 8	7.58
Mile 9	7.24
Mile 10	8.53
Mile 11	7.47
Mile 12	7.37
Mile 13	7.35
Mile .1	0.45

Ran a 1:42:59 for the New York City 1/2 Marathon. It would have been a bit faster if I didn't stop multiple times to take photos. I also stopped off at the Papaya King for a hot dog. I also had pancakes at the Barking Dog Luncheonette on the upper east side.

Story to follow

Keith McHeffey 3 Mile Run & Spicy shrimp tacos, two ways

Runners - 398
Finish - 6th
Age Group - 1st
Time - 19:47

When it comes to running and food I am easily inspired. I saw a TV ad for spicy shrimp tacos so I knew it would make a good Friday night dinner. My son Mike likes them so I hunted down a few recipes on the Food Network website. I chose two, one breaded and fried and the other sauteed. The fried shrimp tacos were accompanied with a salsa Verde salsa made with tomatillos, avocados and jalapenos. It was just the right amount of spice which the cold avocados helped take the edge off. I tossed the second shrimp taco with oil and chipotle spice then sauteed for 5 minutes. They were finished off in the soft taco shell with cole slaw, olives and tomatoes. The cole slaw helped take the heat off the chipotle on the shrimp. Both these dishes will be made again in the future.

I love running races because just being around other runners inspires me. We all run for different reasons, but I run to be around other runners and to stay fit. The Keith Mcheffey race is one that I have run many times with two former co-workers, Tommy and Taugh. Over the years many of our other friends would join us but not on this day. The race used to be the Donavan's Reef 3 mile run and we would end up at Donavan's for a few beers. It is now the Keith Mcheffey 3 mile run honoring his memory after he perished in the 9/11 disaster. This was the 10th annual and the weather was cooperating on this day. In the past we have run in a cold downpour, snow and cold. The Mad Hatter now holds the post race party and it does a great job. It is always a good time to be drinking with other runners.

I got down early so I could sign up, get my shirt and a good parking spot. Doug Rice and his split second timing crew was in charge of the registration and was doing the race day sign ups via computers. It looks like it will be the wave of the future but on this day, he had some issues. The computers were going down and the runners were starting to back up. He had to switch back to paper apps in order to handle all the runners. We just may not be ready for this technology yet.

Taugh and I were up front and Tommy and his cousin were in the middle of the pack. The race started 10 minutes late due the issues at registration, but no one seemed to mind. After the bagpipers played their song, the gun went off.

My plan today was run with Taugh for the first 1/2 mile then push the pace from there. I haven't run a short race since January 1st so I wasn't sure of my fitness. I have been doing some intervals on the treadmill so I felt I could go 6:50 pace. I noticed that after running with Lynch for 5 minutes we weren't far from the leaders. I think most of the really fast runners were planning to run the Asbury 1/2 marathon on Sunday. I picked up the pace and started passing runners. I got into a nice rhythm and could see the leaders at this point although I knew I couldn't catch them so I just wanted to catch any 50 year olds.

At the turn around I was in 10th place and figured I could catch a few more runners. I passed a few runners right after the turn and concentrating on passing the 2 young kids in front of me. I got one of them at mile 2.2 and the second kid with a 1/4 mile to go. I felt really good but couldn't catch the guy in front of him. I finished in 19:47 which I was pleased with although I think the course was a bit short.

I ended up in 6th place overall and 1st in my age group which was a nice surprise. I have 1/2 marathons in back to back weekends coming up. The NYC and then the Sleepy Hollow 6 days later. This race gave me some confidence that I could go fast again. My hopes are to run NYC in under 8's, hopefully 7:45s.