Second overall was the plan.
I was supposed to run the Fifth Avenue Mile that weekend. There was also a local 5K near the old house I was working on upstate. The local race made more sense. I could work on the house, bring a fast friend, and still get a hard effort without rearranging the week.
My friend was faster than me. That simplified the target.
I emailed my coach that I was shooting for second overall.
The week leading into it was already heavy. Labor Day had pushed my workouts forward by a day and removed the Friday rest day. I got through the two key sessions, then took Sunday and Monday completely off before the last big part of the Chicago Marathon block.
One track session felt especially good. The workout went from 1,000-meter repeats down to 200s. I ran the first two 1,000s in 3:53 and 3:48, then two 800s in 2:48 and 2:46.
The first 400 took 66 seconds.
“NITRO!!!” was how I recorded that one.
The next took 71.
“REALITY.”
I loved the track. I also knew a small local road race was a better fit than trying to turn the Fifth Avenue Mile into something important three weeks before Chicago.
The Peekskill Police and Fire 5K started by the riverfront. The event raised money for local scholarships created in memory of a Peekskill police detective and firefighter. It was small enough that the awards happened on the back of a stage truck.
The photos afterward have me on that stage with a medal, smiling and holding up two fingers.
The friend who came with me was still faster. I got the place I had planned for.
Then it was back to the old house and the marathon block. Chicago was close enough that every race had to fit around the work still left to do.