Our relay team was called Stop Noah.
It made more sense at the time.
The Cherry Tree race was one full loop of Prospect Park for each of three runners. About 3.4 miles apiece. Our combined time was 54:44, good for first in the men's relay and a 5:29 average pace.
My watch found a 17:01 5K inside my leg.
That was the number I cared about.
I had recently run 17:40 after a run of 80-mile weeks. It was technically an adult personal best, but it did not feel like 80 miles of work had bought very much. I thought I was fitter than that.
Before Cherry Tree, I finally took a couple days off. Nothing was injured. I just needed to let the big weeks land before adding more work.
The difference was obvious.
I felt strong through the loop. My heart and lungs were not the limiting factor yet. The lap stayed fast over the park's hills, and the watch said 17:01 for the best 5K section.
The official relay sheet was less personal. It showed Stop Noah at the top in 54:44. Second place was 55:29. Third was 59:00.
I took a photo of the paper while somebody held it over a table full of plastic water cups.
The result gave me some confidence back. A 16:45 5K during the year no longer sounded ridiculous. It also made the value of those two days off hard to miss.
The rest of life was not feeling nearly as clean. In the email I sent my coach the next day, I wrote that work was a complete disaster. Running and the people around it had become the simplest and most refreshing part of every day. I needed it.
That week held the whole mix: 80-mile training, a relay win, a 17:01 inside the loop and a job that felt terrible.
Stop Noah won. Then Monday started.