Runner’s diary, Monday (in recovery)

Yes, I pulled it off. I finished the 35th annual LBI Commemorative 18-mile Run on Sunday, sprinting home (yes, I did) with a 3:33:25 (that’s three hours, 33 minutes and 25 seconds — or an 11:51 pace per mile), finishing 509 and making it back with about 15 minutes to spare before they closed the finish line.

I have to admit that there was much walking — way too much, to be honest — especially after the 10-mile mark. It was brutally hot and humid and I was dehydrated pretty early. I walked a little bit between mile eight and 10 and then a lot afterward. Paul Vaccarro, a 24-year-old trainer at the gym I go to, ran the race in 3:01:27 , while Mike Kokoszka, a 33-year-old friend (pictured with me above as we passed North 2nd Street in Surf City just shy of the marker for mile 10 — my wife, Annie, took the shot) who helped me get through the training, finished at 3:33:42. He actually ran a better race than I did for most of it and didn’t feel the need at the end to lay it on the line.

I think I was trying to atone for the miserable mood I had been in during the middle of the race. For a few miles — probably, 11 through 13 or so, when I let Mike take off ahead of me — I felt a bit sorry for myself and disappointed until I decided there was no shame in walking some. That’s when I caught Mike again and we set small goals and targets, which helped a lot. My legs were on fire by the end from the lactic acid build up and the muscles had tightened from walking too much. But we soldiered on.

Basically, we walked and ran on and off and somehow I found a little (very little) in the tank to finish with a sprint.

So, we did it. I can’t say I’d ever do it again — but then I won’t rule it out. I will just have to stay noncommittal on it and see what happens down the road.

I am sore today — mostly the lower back and my quads are barking with tightness — but I am hopeful I can get back on the road by the end of the week and begin looking ahead to the Viking 5K in South Brunswick in November.

And thanks to all the people who lined the street, cheering on the runners. It really helped during those moments when I felt pretty lousy.

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Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet