Holding On For Life

So as not to deny Andy Sovonick of his due, before we get to Marathon Weekend 2k13 I will honor his accomplishment at the Veterans Day 10k with this post.

Andy ran 34:00 on the nose and finished 9th.

Although it's the 3rd fastest he's covered the distance, he felt that, once again, Hains Point got the better of him. I said it was a necessary cobweb-sweeper heading into this weekend's Rothman Institute 8k (yo you hear Philly got an 8k?).

Since there wasn't a lot of other racing, it was enough to clinch last week's Purple Drink Athlete of the Week.

It also served as a reminder that sometimes when we race, it's a matter of holding on for life. We all want to have results that match our level of effort, which requires smart training, smarter racing, and, of course, the 3 C's (good courses, good conditions, and good competition). But it also takes guts - the guts to sometimes go out too fast and blow up. Andy, who, much like Dominic Toretto, lives his life a quarter mile at a time, went out and raced. He put himself in a position to run fast. It didn't work out for him the way he wanted, but tomorrow I believe it will. Because after all

YOU HAVE TO RUN FAST, TO RUN FAST.