Going into this year's Washington State Road Running Championships many things left me with very little confidence. The fact that I'd been injured really put a damper on me and being that I was injured training was quite a bit different this year compared to last year. I was not able to get in a good race beforehand this year so that also made me even more nervous as I approached the starting line.
This years field of elite runners grew quite a bit compared to previous years. On paper it looked as if the deepest field ever was assembled. At the end of the race, this theory held strong. In 2008 I won the Washington State Road Running Championships and the following year I was taken down and placed 2nd. I came back in 2010 to win again and this year I wanted to retain my title. I figured I was not in "PR" shape (Personal Record) this year, but training had been somewhat shocking and I really made a quick come back. So fitness was not too bad. Once the gun went off the pack immediately dispersed. In previous years you would see a pretty big pack going into mile 1, this year the pack was thrashed by about a quarter of a mile. So it was obvious this year would be a fast one. The weather was pretty chilly earlier in the morning as I checked the weather, a crispy 34 Degrees. When the race started the temperatures shot up in the 40's. After the mile I found myself running with a few familiar faces. One, a former college teammate who is now also running pro, then there was Mike R. who I battled earlier in the year in a Snow Shoe race, right in front of me a 2:13 marathoner and next to him another guy who I'd previously lost to in this same race a few years back. I was amongst good company.
We worked together through most of the climbs leading to the 5k mark and then the pack shriveled and I was now running with Mike R. and to my surprise we were running faster than I had ever run on this course. This is where the brain started to tell me to slow down "you are not ready for this yet". Unfortunately I could not listen to brain, I had to stay strong and make sure I fought hard for the title. Once we reached the famed "Doomsday Hill" I looked back and saw that I was far ahead of the two other runners I thought before the race would be my greatest competition for the championship. This allowed me to relax and just race to the finish with the pack I was with. I was able to maintain a strong effort and win the Washington State Road Running Championship for my 3rd time! The event was great and Jon Neil did a great job hosting the elites and putting together a great crew of runners! Check out the results below:
Men's Top Washington
1.Joe Gray Newcastle, WA 36:25
2.Uli Steidl Seattle, WA 37:27
3.Steven Crane Olympia, WA 37:28
4.Kyle King Cheney, WA 37:29
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