Three Bridges 5-Mile Run

     I've mentioned in previous posts that I enjoy running summer races. I like feeling comfortable, not chilled, at the start, and my body just seems to respond better to hot weather racing.
     That self-analysis was put to the ultimate test this past Saturday in the Three Bridges Volunteer Fire Co. 5-Mile Run in Readington Twp.
      Heat advisories and warnings were out all through New Jersey, as morning temperatures hit the low 90's, accompanied by stifling humidity that put the heat index off the charts.
    I probably didn't help myself, either, by sipping a large hot chocolate from Dunkin' Donuts (my pre-race ritual) on the drive down to the race.
    I noticed in my warm-up that the race course was also very hilly. As I train on this type of terrain, primarily, that wasn't a major concern for me. I just hate when I'm unfamiliar with the course (as I was here), and I'm not sure where and when I'm going to have to tackle a long, steep upgrade.
    Excuses all in place, I lined up with a 100 or so other people for the small-town Hunterdon County race, which benefited the Hug-A-Bear Project for the prevention and treatment of Pancreatic Cancer.
     The start and first mile was almost all downhill, and I missed the orange cone that marked the mile split. Water stops are every 1 1/3 miles, and when I reached the first my watch read 9:25. The second mile, which begins over a bucolic little bridge over the south branch of the Raritan River, is almost entirely uphill, and completely in the sun. I approached the two-mile point in 14:50.
     My best case scenario (based on the seven-minute pace of my 5-K's this summer) was running the five-miler in 36 minutes and change. I still had a legitimate shot at that, but the field really started spreading out at that point, and I slowed as the heat began to take it's effect. The third mile passed in 22 minutes and change. I would need a good final two miles to break 37 minutes!
   I mentally kept it together in the fourth mile, passing a few people in front of me as we went past the pastoral farmland of Western New Jersey. I hit four miles in 29 and something, and figured the course had to be flattening out at this point. No such luck!
    Whether it was the heat, my own lack of hydration (remember the hot chocolate?), or just unfamiliarity with the five-mile distance, I really began to lag in the final mile. I tried every mental trick I could think of, to no avail. Those few people I passed in mile three got me back, and I just wanted to limit the damage. Luckily, the final third-of-a-mile or so is flat, and I staggered across in 38:47.
    I was curious what my heart rate was, but, wouldn't you know it, I wasn't able to get it on my Mio watch this time - shoot!
    Normally after a race I freeze almost immediately and have two or three layers of outerwear on. It had to be the unusual conditions, but this time, I just fell on the lawn in back of the fire station and laid there, shirtless, for about 15 minutes before moving at all.
   I felt a bit disoriented, and when I went inside, had an orange juice to get my blood sugar level back up. Waiting for the awards, I probably drank a half-gallon of water, and my head got back together.
   I knew I was near the front of the race (the winner, a top local runner, ran a 30:06 in the sweltering conditions), and figured I'd wait around for the results. I was 11th in the field, and won the 50-59 age-group, at least.
   The Three Bridges Fire Co. were gracious hosts and there was even draft beer (Coors or my favorite, Yeungling) available to the runners. I knew one would totally send me for a loop on this day, and I also had a college track reunion "down the Shore" later in the evening.
  This was probably my hottest race ever, but I chalk it up as a good experience overall, and I hope to keep the Three Bridges Five-Miler on my yearly racing calendar.