ESS #3

The Eastern Seaboard Series is simply blessed
by the weather God!
This Saturday past was a beautiful sun filled
day and though a few people were concerned
about rain, their fears were unfounded. Race
director and founder, Bob Albanese once again,
as he has without fail, provided a morning of
action packed racing for Lehigh Valley skaters.
I missed last months race, choosing to work
instead.
Nationals is somewhere I don't want to go having
to count pennies, so I'd spent the day at the
Dealership in the file room.
With a little encouragement I canned my plans
to work again, at least a full day, and ended up
driving, working,racing, driving, working and
finally driving, home.
It's was a full day!
The good news is my time for the 10k was a PB.
Take a minute off the clock for the men's wave
who were sent off 60 seconds ahead of the women,
and my 23+ broke 24 minutes.
Considering a long range goal of mine had been
to break 25, someday in the future, it was the
clock that ended up giving the race meaning for
me.
See, racing outdoors does not make me happy..
Racing outdoors, hurts.
Hurts a lot.
And skating out of a pack, outdoors, sucks.
For whatever reason I've never managed to get
in one during a race.
Like the three bears, the speed is never just
right.
Too fast, too slow, and there I am, by myself,
gutting it out.
This time I had a plan.
The mass start would give me the opportunity
to hook up with male team mates I often skate
with.
Tucking in between them was my action plan.
Which, was unhappily foiled when on the line
awaiting the start, a few "women" demanded that
the guys be sent out ahead of them...
Gurrrr...
So it was a woman I tucked in behind, and there
I stayed till she bailed after the second lap
of T'town's 1 mile track.
Bailing was not in my game plan so I picked it
up feeling annoyed I was out on my own again.
It wasn't too long before I heard the steady
strokes of someone coming up behind me after the
hill.
Looking over my right shoulder I thought, "Hey!,
I know her!"
And in behind Loradonna, I went.
Her stroke is different than my norm, but I did
my best to mimic her short, steady strides.
When she faltered, her coach Helen H. was there
to spur her on and it worked like magic.
I was impressed.
I was also dropped eventually..
Ahhhh, well.
It was good while it lasted.
Lap five is pure torture.
My legs are in constant pain and my mind never
ceases informing me how much "this" hurts..
"MAKE IT STOP!!" it screams at me.
Yet I don't.
Knowing there is no grace, and absolutely no
beauty in how I am skating, I do it ugly, and
despite taking a few rolling rest breaks, I
suffer but don't cave in to the pain.
Lap six.
Only one more.
I can do, one more.
Then I am approaching the finish line, glancing
at the time clock as I cross it and in a haze,
wonder why the tear tag guy is so damn far away..
That deed done, I roll back down to my blanket,
exhausted.
Not only am I tired, I am one completely cranky
51 yr. old.
For about 10 minutes.
That mood passes as I recover, and realize I did
a 10k in under 24 minutes.
For me a good time.
It gives meaning to the pain I thought was worthless.
Can I break 23 next time?