The JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge race in Boston was the event of the day. 12,000 runners hit the streets at 7:15 PM with the temperature still in the upper 80’s for their individual 3.5 mile jaunt out Commonwealth Ave to Kenmore Square and back to the Boston Common. This is always a crowded race but I managed to get a good spot about 30 feet from the starting line. As opposed to previous years where I was passing walkers in the first mile, I was making my way at a comfortable pace, only getting passed by some faster runners, as I made my way through the first mile in about 7:40. This pace was a little fast for the heat but otherwise right in the range where I wanted to be. The water bottle that I brought with me for my pre-race preparations, I decided not to discard and instead made use of it during the race, taking sips along the way as my mouth got dry. This also helped me maintain pace (gain time) as I stayed away from the water stops and avoided the inevitable slow down for the water cup exchange.
I missed seeing the sign for the two mile mark but was at 23:20 for three miles (just off my finish time for the previous 5K race I had run). I maintained stride and pace coming into the finish, no need to pick it up and show off here. This performance was already a personal record (PR) for me and I have two more races remaining to run this week.
My final time of 27:18 was just over a minute better than my previous bests of 28:20 and 28:22 for this race.
The amazing part of the race was I knew one other Norfolk County Pacer was running as well with his company. I did not know what color shirt his company team had so I had little hope of really finding him. Standing in the group before the start, I was looking around trying to see if I might find him. I recognized a running cap just in front of me that was similar to his and as I looked closer the body type was also a match. Stepping forward, I started to hear the conversation and the voice was a match. Yes, of all the places to find a running buddy, right in front of me at the start. How about finding that needle in the haystack of 12,000 runners?
