For some reason, when I am racing, I typically find myself in a no man’s land.  For those that don’t know, this is when you are a bit back from the person in front of you and and a bit ahead of the person behind you.  Generally speaking I am pretty cool with this.  I like racing by myself.  Seeing what I can do on my terms on that day.

I have rarely planned to race a race with somebody else.  Too many things can go wrong for it to work out well.  The primary one being you both have to have a good race in order to race together.  I don’t know about you, but I rarely race well when I plan to race well.

On occasion though I have person, or maybe more, to race with.  Typically at the local road race this is someone of similar ability who I have competed with before.  Sometimes a youngster (I feel I can say that now, since post college runners are 10 years younger than me) pops into my pace range.  Other times a training partner will step down and run with me as a workout or to pace me.  I am lucky in the sense that virtually every guy I train with is faster than me.  But usually it is the previous situation where I end up competing with a local yokel.

On very rare occasions though, you get to race with (and against), a good friend.  Where you get to push yourself and them.  There is no other thought other than trying to push them, help them run faster, and hopefully try and run faster yourself.  Today was one of those days.

Quinn Lewandowski is a former Nebraska Wesleyan runner, current grad student at UNL, and a volunteer with me at Lincoln North Star.  Solid college runner, very good local runner, and will be an exceptional coach if he chooses that route.  He was also my racing buddy at this morning’s 36th annual Buffalo Run.  In my opinion the gem of the Lincoln Track Club racing schedule.  We hadn’t talked about meeting up to run.  I actually hadn’t talked that much with him since our XC workout on Thursday at Fallbrook.

We fell into step the first mile and change.  I pulled away miles 2-3.  He came back on 3-4.  We changed leads a couple of times in the last 1.5 miles.  He got the official 5th, with me in 6th.  Whatever.  My point is that when you find someone you can run with, who can push you, use it.  It is a rare treat to have that experience.