The End of Fall and the start of the Dark Ages...

Well, this weekend marks (in my mind) the last big racing weekend of the Fall.  It's been one heck of a season for most of us, dating back to mid-September.  We had some incredible performances at 26.2, with PRs all over the place.  Now the short, dark, and cold days of Winter begin.  A time when many hang up the racing flats and hibernate to the pantry, a select and dedicated few of us continue training knowing that we don't want to start the 2013 racing year off with a 2nd place finish when 1st was there for the taking...

And now for a quick recap of the results...

Saturday kicked it off with the Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon in NC.  Phil took to the streets, in search of completing marathon #46 on his quest for 50 by age 50.  He has been running so well as of late, I told him sub-2:55 was in the cards.  His post-race analysis indicated the course was pretty hilly, but he managed to pull off one of his fastest marathons in recent memory, running 2:57:12 for 12th overall and 3rd Master.

Meanwhile, down in MoCo, our ultra boys, Keith and Adam, took to the trails at the Stone Mill 50 Mile Run.  Keith battled what he's diagnosed a strained muscle in the back of his knee and really had to fight the last 10 miles or so to finish.  I know he wanted to win the race this year.  He still managed a very respectable 7:40:22 for 5th.  Adam wasn't far behind in 8th, crossing the line in 7:59:02.  I can't imagine either of these weekend warriors will be racing these insane distances until March, but who the hell knows!

Sunday featured a pair of low-key races.  In West Friendship, Joseph Keating put on the 5k Run For Food, a canned food drive for the homeless for his Eagle Scout project.  It was cold, and the course was quite challenging.  Joey Thompson took the easy win in 15:47.  Mark came in a distance 2nd, running 16:25.  Peter looked strong, taking 3rd and the Master $, running 16:57.  Jason was 4th in 17:28.

In Annapolis, our rejuvenated grandmaster crew partook in the Cold Turkey 10k.  James Blackwood (not a GM) took the overall crown.  Weems, continuing to work back from injury, returned to his winning ways in the 55-59 division, finishing 8th in 38:14.  His rival, John, wasn't far behind, with a 39:11 for 9th.

Lastly, up at the Philadelphia Marathon, I wanted to give a shout out to Hafiz Shaikh, who has worked his butt off this summer following (one of) Pfitzinger's marathon training plans.  He ran a 12-minute PR and earned a BQ, clocking a 3:04:24.  Way to go Hafiz!!!

Best of luck to anyone participating in a Turkey Trot tomorrow morning.  And to anyone who actually reads this damn thing, Happy Thanksgiving from the Striders Racing Team to you and your family!!!  If you're running Celtic Solstice, remember control yourself so you don't show up to the starting line 5-10 pounds heavier!!!