Kicking Off The 2013 Competition

Saturday was the 12th annual St. Patrick's 4 Miler in Binghamton, NY.

Race Start on Oak St.

I like to run this race for several reasons.  First, it's very close to where I live, and I often run on parts of the course.  Second, I run a lot during the winter months since it's easier to do outside in bad weather than biking and I hate exercising indoors.  Third, it is a good chance to test and improve my fitness before biking season starts, and finally, it's a fun event, with a huge turnout (just over 700 this year), a festive atmosphere (lot's of green and St. Patrick's inspired costumes), and free food and beer after the race.

Chris Finishing on Leroy St.

I've been running a decent amount, but I don't usually run at race pace, so I knew this would hurt, and it did.  I've also been running in Vibram Five Finger shoes for just over a year, and I still haven't perfected the "barefoot running" technique so that that my calves don't hurt when running long and/or hard.
Nevertheless, I ran the race in them, and I ran hard.  I think my first mile came in at around 6:20, which is extremely fast for me.

Chris Finishing on Leroy St.

I eased up a bit for the next two miles, and pushed the last mile, but I'm pretty sure mile 1 was my fastest.  In running lingo, I did not have a negative split (faster second half), but oh well, I still had a personal record for this race and was happy with my overall time.  I finished 48th out of 714 with a time of 26:21.
Jon Murray and Pat Kapinus also ran the race.

Jon Murray on Riverside Drive

Check out the complete results below:

http://triplecitiesrunnersclub.org/y2013/stpats_4mile.html

And some additional pictures here