Milford High School Cross Country

Nearly a decade removed from competitive running, Ol' Bloom came out of retirement last season and put together a very satisfying comeback. In all, I completed 13 5Ks, a grueling 5-miler (that's still my longest competitive run), and also teamed with my Uncle Vern to win the Barnyard Biathlon. Overall, I finished fourth in my age group (I'm 26 and will be 27 by the end of spring track for those wondering) in the Seashore Striders Series and scored a season-best time of 21:20 by the end of the summer in the Labor Day Classic. Though I couldn't hang with some of those wily cross country coaches like Ray Rodriguez of St. Thomas More, I held my own and sparked my goals for 2001. So here it is: the new season is upon us, and I'm officially started after completing the Cupid Chase 5K on Feb. 10. I've expanded Special Sauce this season to include my wife Shelly (who finished her first-ever 5K on Feb. 10), my Uncle Vernon Redding (who will move up to the masters over-40 group this year after placing third in his Strider age group in '00), my cousin Lauren Redding (who also finished her first 5K Feb. 10), and my good running friend Dan Pennington (2000 Most Improved Runner in the Strider Series). Remember: if you want to make Special Sauce, I guess I'll have to see you out there running! :) Click on the above picture to see last year's Special Sauce reports! :) Check out the race results below: