Apple Blossom 10K

The first couple miles of the Apple Blossom 10K on Saturday, May 2, was pure chaos. More than a thousand people were crammed onto a divided road. When the signal went off, runners scrambled for place and pace -- and some didn't worry about stepping on others' toes.  After a couple miles, however, the crowd thinned out, as did the rain that had been steadily falling.  I never did find the magic bubble where I could run my own race; always there was a small group around me and I had to be wary of cutting others off.  

Last year I ran this race in 54:09 and came in second in my age group. This year I did it in 59:57 (chip time) and came in 13th out of 27 in my age group. I was sorely disappointed, yet knew I should be grateful to be able to finish without walking any of it as this is the longest and hardest run yet since the pneumonia hit. The doctor told me earlier in the week that the pneumonia was an infection in my lung, and that it will take time for it to heal. I had the traditional pneumonia that, before antibiotics, used to put people in the hospital for three to four weeks at a time; and it hasn't even been a month since I landed in the hospital.  I do find that I still feel very tired and low on air (which is not quite the same as being short of breath; this is more the sensation of being unable to take a full, deep breath).  So I think the doc is probably right and I need to be more patient with myself.

The weather remains cool and rainy, hampering my efforts at speed work. Next weekend is the Senior Games and I hope, in spite of the lack of speed work, to see some more improvement in my running ability.