The second Beach Run of the year on May 24 had a record 289 runners and walkers participate in the 1 mile, 5K, and 10K races.  The conditions were much tougher than the first race of the year.  The tide was rising fast creating very soft sand with little to no room to run close to the water.  There were also more people out on the beach for a Thursday evening than there usually are.  We would have to maneuver our way through and around the extra people that were getting a head start on celebrating Memorial Day weekend.

 I was not happy about the tide coming in.  Low tide was around 4:00pm, two and a half hours before the 6:30pm start.  I've finished races in the past where the tide was coming in but I don't recall starting one with the tide this high before.  Everyone had to deal with it though and the winners would be those that handled the soft sand best.  The weather conditions were warmer than the first race but still wasn't too bad.  Air temperature was 80 degrees and the humidity was up but wasn't too high.  There was going to be headwind coming back though.  I prefer a headwind going out so you can battle it while you are fresh.

I lined up at the front and tried to stay out of the rising tide.  The gun went off and I was out fast.  I went out faster than the first race so I would be able to run in the what little good sand there was.  David and I were running side by side from the start.  He was leading the 5K and I was leading the 10K.  Mike opted not to run the 10K and chose to run the 1 mile with his daughter Lilly.  You can miss 2 of the first 6 races and still win an overall or age group championship.

I went through the first mile in 6:17, only a second slower than my first mile from the first beach run this year.  Aside from the soft sand and little room to run near the water, we had to jump over a trench some kids had dug for a sand castle.  It was a pretty deep trench and went in a semi circle.  We also had to run under some fishing lines from people fishing.  You can't see them at all running down the beach because they blend into the sky.  We startled one fisherman and he said, "What the hell is going on?!?" And I replied that we were having a beach race.  Tourists, God help him and get 'em off my beach!

David made the turn at the 5K sign, still easily leading the 5K and I continued on down the sand.  I ran mile two in 6:34.  The sand was better on the other side of the Sheraton Pier, like it was for the first beach run, but not by much.  It was flatter and had a little more space between the flat sand and the rising tide but it was still soft.  I knew I had a big lead without Mike in the race but I didn't let up.  I kept putting forth the effort and ran mile three in 6:44.  I was getting slower every mile and knew the trip back wouldn't be any easier.

The sand conditions were getting worse on the way back.  What little strip of sand near the water to run in going out was now gone or chewed up from all the other runners.  It was a struggle but I had a big lead over my friend Dean who was in second place.  I ran miles four and five in 7:00 and 7:18.  I didn't feel that the headwind coming back was slowing me down, but rather the horrible sand conditions was the cause.

I ran mile six in 7:17 and the last 0.24 miles in at 7:28 pace.  Unlike the first beach run where my fastest miles of the race were the final two and I negative split those, this week my slowest miles of the race were the final three and I positive split them.  I won the 10K in 42:56.  Dean finished 2nd overall in 50:16.  David Garrison won the 5K in 19:57.  Jamie had to deal with the bad sand conditions too.  Although her time was slower than the first race she won her age group this time by fifty five seconds.

The good thing is I won.  Now I am just two wins away from clinching the overall championship.  I don't have much hope of the sand conditions being much better next time since the forecasted low tide is 4:20pm.  That means the tide will be coming back in making the sand soft and not leaving any packed in sand to run on.  The officials must have not have paid much attention to the tide tables and charts when making the schedule this year.

I've been doing the beach run series in my hometown since high school.  It is a very fun series that mostly locals do.  Registration starts around 5:30pm at the main beach access at the circle in Atlantic Beach.  The cost is only $3.00 per race.  The 5K and 10K races start at 6:30pm and the 1 mile starts five minutes or so after.  The 1 mile, 5K, and 10K races are in the sand, usually at low tide so the sand is actually packed in pretty well for running.  I've managed to run low 38 minute 10Ks in the sand in the past.  The Beach Run Series is a points series.  You have to do four of the first six races to qualify for overall and age group awards.  I've mostly done the 10K during my years participating but I did do the mile in 2003 and won the overall championship.  I've gone on to win the overall 10K championship in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011.

I've been recovering from running the hot Boston Marathon on April 16th and hadn't done any speedwork or tempos before the first beach run of the year on May 10.  I still had a great aerobic base from the 18 weeks of marathon training but my weekly mileage post Boston was 21 miles and 31 miles the week before this beach run.  Jamie, her dog Justus, and I arrived at Atlantic Beach around 5:30pm and registered.  I got my trademark bib number with a three in it, #356.  Three has always been a lucky number for me and the staff knows to give me a number with a three in it.  The weather was nice; the air temperature was in the low 70s with a little breeze that would be in our face for the first 3.1 miles, and the humidity was low.  I ate a powerbar an hour before the start.  I then headed out for a 2 mile warm-up jog with Heidi Tucker before making my way down to the sand for the start.

I lined up at the front with Heidi, Mike Fitzula, and David Garrison.  Mike was also running the 10K.  He won the Lookout Rotary Spring Road Race 5K in 17:58 back in April.  I felt Mike was in better shape right now than I was and I told him I didn't think I would have anything for him in the 10K.  The gun went off and I started off slower than I usually do but I was running side by side with Heidi and Mike.  David took off and left us.  The sand was packed in good but it was slanted.  The headwind wasn't that strong and it felt good since it was helping to keep us cooler.  Heidi, Mike, and I caught David after the first half mile and the four of us continued to run together.  I went through the first mile in 6:16.

I felt pretty good as I kept running with Heidi, Mike, and David.  Heidi and David hit the 5K turnaround and headed back to the finish as Mike and I kept going to the 10K turn around.  The sand was getting more slanted as we neared the Sheraton Pier.  I ran mile two in 6:23 but was ahead of Mike by a couple seconds.  I started feeling stronger after we ran under the pier.  The sand on the other side was packed in better and not as slanted.  The wind seemed tougher though.  I thought Mike was still right behind me as we neared the 10K turnaround.  I ran mile three in 6:38.

After making the turn, I saw Mike was 15-20 seconds behind me.  I knew I was going to have to pick it up on the final 3.1 miles to hold on and win because Mike is fully capable of running me down.  It felt warmer with the wind at my back but I was still able to pick it up.  I ran mile four in 6:22 and kept picking it up from there.  I wanted to win.  The sand got worse once we passed the 5K turn on the way back.  We were now running in sand that was chewed up by everyone in the 5K and 10K going out and the 5K runners headed back to the finish.

I was still leading and picking up the pace as I ran mile five in 6:14.  I wasn't sure how close Mike was and I wasn't about to look behind myself and check.  If I'm behind someone and I see them turn their head to see where I am I take it as a sign of weakness.  I think they are fading and are worried I will catch them.  I use that as motivation to pick up the pace, run them down, and blow by them.  I didn't see a shadow or hear his feet landing on the shells so I knew he couldn't be real close.  I kept pushing and ran mile six in 6:10, my fastest of the day.  I only had 0.2 miles to go.  I was finally confident enough I had it won but still ran the final 0.21 miles at 5:57 pace.  I won the 10K in 39:22!  Mike finished 2nd in 42:10.  Heidi won the women's 5K in 19:02 and David placed 2nd in the men's 5K in 19:09.

I was very happy and surprised I won.  I truly thought Mike would win.  I felt better as the race progressed. My fastest miles were the final two of the race and I negative split those.  Jamie decided to do the mile in the series this year after placing second in her age group last year in the 5K.  She ran a personal record mile of 8:35 at this race and finished second in her age group.  The weather was really nice and the headwind wasn't bad going out.  The sand could have been better if it wasn't slanted but it could of been worse too if the tide was higher.  I just need to win three more 10Ks to clinch the overall championship.