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Sunday, August 26, 2012

The Rivalry

I've struggled with competitiveness most of my life. Okay, all my life. The emotions suffered during a defeat are often overwhelming. I've been working on controlling them for the better half of my adult life. I think I'm getting better. Steph says I'm a little better. The emotions are still the same, but my outward attitude has improved a little. I'm not gonna lie. It's still a huge struggle for me.

Me, Steph, Renee, Jason, Corrine @ CASA 5K 2007
Running was the first sport that I never felt competitive in. I began my running career in the 6th grade. I think I never felt the pressure to win because I was slow and thought that this is as fast as I can go I can't go any faster. I was genetically limited and I was okay with that. I ran my hardest; I gave my best effort; I left it all out on the course every race. I really enjoyed running because I felt like the pressure was off. In other sports it seemed you had moments of greatness. Golf is the perfect example. You get a fantastic hit and therefore you know you are capable of great hits, but you can't do it consistently and that brings in frustration. Inside your head you tell yourself you are better than this, but the people around you don't know that and you can't show them because you can't repeat your greatness. You know it's in there you've lived it. Ask any golfer. I've never felt that way towards running until recently.
Harvest 5K 2008

Enter The Rivalry. It all began in the fall of 2007 at the Plainfield Harvest Fest 5K. Steph and I had run the race the previous year and were talking to her sisters about how fun it was. It only took a little convincing and both her sisters signed up, Renee, Corrine and Corrine's husband, the rival, Jason. Up until this point in the rivalry Jason had schooled me in golf and cooking. Running I decided was going to be owned by me. I had quit smoking 2 years earlier and had trained for the 2006 race, but not too much for 2007. I still figured I had the advantage not being a smoker and having at least run a little. Jason on the other hand hadn't trained at all and at a pack a day was no way going to beat me.

The race did not turn out how I expected. At all. Here is the result:
Run 5K
Plainfield, IL
9/30/07
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals1583426251636:13
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals923526351836:16+00:03.70


He beat me by 3 seconds and yeah that hurt. So quickly I signed us up for a second race that year. The CASA Trick Or Treat run that was run at Pilcher Park. Here is that result:

Run 5K
Joliet, IL
10/20/07
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals256244230:20
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals147325634:07+03:46.30


He schooled me by almost 4 min. My life was ruined...sorry I'm being over dramatic, but that's how my emotions work when I lose.

The following year I was all about the business of running. Steph and I trained hard for our first ever 10K run in Chicago. It is still one of my favorite runs of all time. The race was in August so I was ready come the Harvest 5K in September where we went at it again. Here is how that turned out:

Run- 5K
Plainfield, IL
9/28/08
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals3726941629:28
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals4429347930:57+01:28.10



Despite knocking 6 min off my previous years time he still beat me and by a minute and a half. It's only now looking at the results so closely that I realize these time differences. Had I known about the 6 min improvement and still losing I may have quit. Thankfully not see and I did not quit. In 2009 running became a passion fired by the achievement of the 10K and the "I will beat Jason" mantra. Keep in mind Jason hasn't trained at all for these races. Each race makes him better. It's staggering to think about how good he could be.

My first victory comes in April of 2009. From Sept. 2008 to April 2009 I ran 6 races. Jason ran zero. I did 13 training runs. Jason did zero. Here was the result:

Run-5K
Chicago, IL
4/25/09
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals452781083184830:30
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals34133021199223732:21+01:51


I finally got him by almost 2 min, but did not beat his best time. That was our last race together for 2 years. They moved to Kentucky in 2010 and moved back in 2011.


Because of Jason's lack of training I have never had any trouble beating him in anything over a 5K (3.1 miles). You can gut out a 5K, but a 10K it helps to have some training. Not to take away from his amazing ability to post an amazing time with zero training. We both ran the Rockdale 10K in April 2011:

Run-10K
Rockdale, IL
4/16/11
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals728495448:15
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals11211657749:54+01:39


He ran extremely well on a tough course, but just as I was thinking victory was decided on who the better runner was the next race happened:

Run-5K
New Lenox, IL
5/21/11
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals9723202723:31
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals9401212823:39+00:07.50


He passed me in the last quarter mile of the race and I just couldn't hang on. To dump a lot of salt into the wound he edged me out of the podium and a fancy medal taking 3rd place in our age group. A bitter loss indeed. The next race was a little harder to accept defeat. I ran my best time ever, but Jason actually put some training in leading up to this race in the early summer of 2011:

Run-5K
Channahon, IL
6/25/11
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals456273221:39
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals326303621:49+00:09.35


Jason didn't keep up with his training and by fall had lost some of that fitness. My first win at Harvest Fest came in the fall of 2011 where I handily beat him by 2 and a half minutes:
Run-5K
Plainfield, IL
9/25/11
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals12911394821:46
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals211189914724:22+02:36


We both ran an 8K (4.98 miles) in November, which is more than 3 miles, and with no training on Jason's part and a lot on mine I beat him by my biggest margin yet.

Run-8K
Joliet, IL
11/13/11
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals969829436:42
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals1532719628042:56+06:14



In 2012 we have competed in 5 races. A 10K and four 5K's. I easily won the first 3 races giving me that false sense that this rivalry is over you can go ahead and crown me king, but then the Sundowner happened on a hot night in July I had to dig really deep. I lead the race for the first mile and a half. I heard his foot falls close behind me. Right around the first mile I decided I would break his spirit by putting in a surge that would leave him grabbing his knees if he tried to come with. Well he hung on. I felt gassed and he was right there chugging a long. My plan backfired I didn't break his spirit I broke my own.
 Just after the 1.5 mile mark he passed me and I had to let him go. He continued to increase the gap as I fought to keep him in sight. I was hurting. It was hot and humid and I felt trashed. I had one hope, that he would have to stop for water and walk for a bit. It was the only way I had a chance. A big part of me wanted him to not stop, because I knew if he stopped and I had a chance it meant that I was going to hurt a lot in the last 1/2 mile. As we rounded the corner and the water table came into view I could see him track towards it. He was walking. The bad part was I had about 150 meters to make up on him so I began to push a little.
By the time I reached him he was ready to go again and started running with me. I was in trouble. I didn't get water; I didn't get to walk. We ran about a quarter mile together when I decided the end was close enough it was time to put in a kick and see what he had left. Having rested a little he had enough to come with me. Fortunately or unfortunately I miss judged the course and the finish was further away than I expected. I kicked too soon and had to slow up. He slowed up too. Both of us were struggling for air. Our breathing was extremely labored. When we finally came in sight of the final turn I pushed with everything I had left. This is where interval training helps. I had the speed in the final leg to put in a strong kick to the finish. It's been our closest finish to date:

Run-5K
Joliet, IL
7/19/12
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals1012014617123:16
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals1622114917423:19+00:03


One of the gutsiest races I have ever had to run, but the rivalry isn't over. Two weeks later we are up in Green Bay (Jason is a 49er's fan) and we are in my Packer land running a 5K that circles Lambeau Field. A perfect day to race and even better day to improve the rivalry record. Leading up to the race there was a lot of smack talk being flung about. Him beating me on my home turf, me not letting that happen. In our second closest race Jason out ran me. I lead for the first 1/2 mile then he passed me and I could not keep up. I had the same hope and about the same distance to make up as the previous race. I needed him to stop for water. I needed him to walk. This time things were different. This time he didn't stop. I realized he probably wouldn't after crossing mile 2 so I worked hard to close the gap. The final 1/4 mile was around the football field and the course was narrow without much room to pass. I was closing on him as I willed my legs to turn over faster if only I could muster a killer sprint at the end, but I didn't have it I ran out of course and he beat me:

Run-5K
Green Bay, WI
7/28/12
Racer NameBibPlc APlc GPlc OFinal+Diff
Jason Frankovich (15)Rivals14142227233322:50
Robert Coyne (63)Rivals13242428134322:55+00:05



Green Bay 5K

The current race tally stands at Bob: 8 Jason: 6

Now I have humbly conceded defeat in many areas of rivalry with Jay. He's a better cook, a better golfer and a better dancer, but I will not concede that he is a better runner. He may be genetically superior, but for now I'm still the better runner.