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Hudepohl 14K

So yesterday was (I guess you could call it) the first race of the fall schedule, the Hudepohl 14K.

Meh...it was an ok race. I can't complain too much, being that I've only been getting back into training for a month or so. On the one hand, it's a little disappointing to be 2 1/2 minutes slower than last year, but on the other hand those two races aren't really comparable. Last year I was at the peak of my marathon training and had been doing a lot of race-specificity work. This year, I...have only been running mileage for a month after taking 3 weeks off with Achilles' issues.

Time for trite, overused platitudes to make me feel better about running slower: You're only going to run as well as you train.

That's super cheesy, but it is true. Last year, this race was an important part of the lead-up to the Chicago Marathon. I was prepared to run pretty fast. This year, this race is just a part of me getting back into shape. So really, I can't complain too much about too much about averaging 5:21 pace.

I guess the best way to look at this race is sort of a baseline of my fitness. As I'm starting a long build-up for a spring marathon (more on the later...it's big news), consider this race a baseline. As such, I really don't think it's too bad, especially since I haven't done any workouts.

And let's just do that race 2 more times and that'll make a great marathon! Man, that practically sounds easy! (Ok that's mostly sarcastic)

But I forgot the best part of the race! We kicked off Oktoberfest on Saturday morning. The race started and finished at the new Moerlein Lager House, with a past-race party on the lawn outside. And the best part: the race bib could be redeemed for a souvenir pint glass, 4 plates of food, and 2 beers! And then, at the awards, I won $100 and a six-pack of Hudepohl!

It certainly was a party.

Six-packs for getting 3rd in the 14k and 1st in the 7k!
Really, no matter how the race turns out, the post-race party makes it a really fun event. It's definitely something worth doing.

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