Johnson’s Tru-value 5-Miler, Calais ME

Hey Folks,

My week for training was low compared to the last few.  I went with my girlfriend to visit Campobello Island, New Brunswick.  This is a great vacation destination for those who really want to relax.  For the hard-cores though, you might want to leave this off your places to go.

On the way back to Fredericton we stopped at this little race (~80 people).  I wanted to test the legs for the first couple K and then just see where it got me.  Essentially the race was a 5 mile loop.  Rolling terrain with decent pavement and bright sun made for a good day to hold the race.

This race had some good things and some rather interesting things about it.  First off, you get to run over the US/Canadian border and then run back into the States.  Bolting past the line-up of traffic is a great way to clear stress if you ever need to burn some off.  However, there were few race officials on the course to find out how to get there!  

The race began with a 20 minute wait  for no reason.  Incorporate that into the hot day and you have alot of thirsty people.  One of the things I thought was great, was that the race was started by a man saying, "We will start on the count of 3.  Go!".  Off we went.  I led for the first 3K which was a goal. My racing schedule and high mileage last week left me a little worse for wear in the mid-sections.  I finished in a time of 28:57 which put me in 4th for the day.  My race calendar will be trimmed so I can focus more on Duathlon Nationals.  In the next month I hope to get some speedwork in for my fall races.

Happy training everybody and good luck at your races this weekend.

Cliff