TarBaby . Part 3

As we was about to start the race I try to visualize what I wanna do through each mile . No one knows this course better than I do . I've trained on this course nearly every week . I lived right off the course about half a mile from the 5 mile mark . Growing up I can recall days I wake up ready to go to the Dairy Festival and looking out the door was runners passing by . I knew there was some sort of event but didnt have a clue of what .as we start out the race we go stride for stride . Just me and David . I remember after about the 2 1/2 mile he puts on this kick and jumped out in front of me about :10 seconds ahead of me . Just enough to keep me pushing . He lead like that for a good while . I couldn't gain nothing on him . We pass the crowd with my family and locals cheering for me . I cant recall how many times people have asked me if I was gonna win it this year . I reply as always "Heck yeah ". Coming to mile 5 his led continues to grow and when we come to the last brutal hill past the bank to the finish that's when I realized I wasnt gonna win . David finished in 32:30 the same time as Ken did the year before . I finished slower than last year with a 32:48 . I wasnt happy .Very disappointed   . I thought I put in the training . Maybe again to many races . I won 23 that year . I think I raced in 35 that year . Way too many for a serious runner . But I didnt know that then . I coached myself . Thats all I had .. After the race was over David introduced me into joining the Atlanta Track Club Competitive team  and I have been a member since I think  .
 Through the year I continue to race and train and in 1998 the usually preparation for the race . I heard David was coming back to defend his title and on top of that Ken McLeod was coming to . Just great !!! That left me one thing to do was to train harder . I wrote David's name on my mirror to remind me why I need to do that extra mile , interval , hill repeat . I heard Ken wasn't in his best shape at time but would be nice to beat both . For sure that morning both were there and we lined up . From the start we was neck and neck again . Not sure where Ken was but wasn't with us . But here we go again . I remembered what he did last year to me and I was waiting for him to do the same . I told myself if he is plan on doing that little sprint like he did last year I was plan on going with him . We come up on the 2 1/2 mile again where he did his move and I be dang if he didn't try it again this year . I said heck no . Not this time . I went with him . He wasn't shake me that easily . We are battling mile after mile . Coming back to Church St. with the crowd he has a :05 or so lead on me .Crowd yelling like crazy for me to hang on . I had a plan to just sit back and let him think he has me . After mile 5 he has a :10 second lead on me . I can tell this by counting off seconds from land markings . At this point I'm laboring to hang on but still behind him . coming up on 5 1/2 I'm pulling up behind him on the dreadful hill . Soon as we top the hill I'm on him , then 1/4 mile to go I told myself " Feet don't fail me know "!!! I but on this sprint to the finish and I never looked back . Final after the years of hard work and trying to figure out this sport I have finally won my hometown race . Crowd at finish goes wild . Dad and mom has tears in their eyes from seeing their little 130 lb son be the center of attention throughout the day . I finished in 32:12 and David finished 32:30 . An :18 second margin exactly by which he beat me the previous year .I never been congratulated by so many people in my life as I walk around the festival through town with my stain glass award . My family threw an party for me at their house to celebrate . The paper had just about a whole page dedicated to me . As things calmed down for me the past few weeks I got to thinking that I wanted to do more with this race . I wanted the course record set by Jeff Milliman from mid 1980's .I think it was in 84 .
  To be continued ......