Colonie Raider Classic - First 5K of 2008

One day I will tell you that I have run well, that I am satisfied. I will tell you that I have risen out of the ranks of wretched, passed through appalling and made it all the way to mediocrity. Not today.

Here's the bottom line from the finish line: 40:24, 13 minutes per mile average, walked more than I ran, and in a spate of leniency because we are just on the cusp of the season, I give myself a "C-".

Good news? I was not last - I managed to beat a 10 year old girl who was running her very first 5K - and, of course, her mother and her mother's two friends her were staying with her. Wow!

Deanne and Jen M, both 30ish, talked me into this. Jen and Deanne are like Mutt and Jeff: Jen, a sturdy 5'9" brunette; Deanne, a tiny 5' blond sprite. They have been running up a storm this Spring, each for her own reason: Deanne wants to reclaim her title as the fastest woman in OSC at the upcoming GHI Workforce Team Challenge; Jen wants to wear a bikini.

Me? The race was a benefit for the Colonie HS Class of 2008, and since both my kids graduated from there, it was a good cause for me to support. Besides, the $15 is tax deductible, right? I also thought it would be a good early season test of how my recovery and training have been going. The weather was cool and the course was flat, both good things for me. Of course, it had also been pouring all day, and although it let up a little by race time, it continued to rain through out the event. This is not an excuse for my poor performance, however - I just sucked.

Donna was there, too, and she introduced me to a couple of people, both interesting in different ways. The first was older - over 60 - an obviously very competitive. Soon after we met, he began complaining because the last category for prizes was too wide - 50+. He was insistent that many runners wouldn't even come to a small race like this with such an inequity, that the usual groupings were in 5 year increments. First, he engaged the three little old ladies sitting at a table selling raffle tickets. They pointed out that they were just volunteers and directed him to the event organizer. He then bent her ear, while she, in the midst of trying to get this whole event launched, politely noted his concerns. I'm thinking you really have to be driven to kick up such a fuss over a plastic water bottle hung with a blue ribbon.

I confess that I did give some thought as to whether I might be the proud recipient of one of said water bottles, but I looked at it a little differently. I figured that since it was such a small race - about 70 people, and since it seemed to skew toward high school-aged athletes, that I had a shot at a prize, provided there were only 3 people in the race over 50 - including me. The gent described above made 1, so I still had a chance. Then another guy came in and he made two - but I was still in the race for a prize. When a third guy over the magic age came in, my hopes were dashed.

But wait - there was still hope! What if one of the guys tripped and broke and ankle, or had a heart attack and couldn't finish? As long as I made it, I could still win.

And then, because he knew Donna, he - Chuck - came came over to talk with her, and Donna introduced him. He was her neighbor, and a really nice guy. He often encountered her at these races. He hadn't been running too much lately, though, because he had been having some heart arrhythmias. He had been to the doctor and been treated, and he was fine now, but he was going to take it easy. I immediately felt really guilty about my stupid fantasy, and realized that what was important about these events didn't have a single thing to do with prizes or age groupings. They are about the experiences and most of all about the people.

Like the organizers and volunteers who give of their time for worthy causes. And the spectators who cheer for you and encourage you, no matter how slow you are or how far behind the leaders. And Donna and Jen and Deanne, who waited in the rain long after they finished their races, until I turned the last corner and headed out onto the track. There they joined me and kept me company through the last quarter mile, encouraging me all the way. That's pretty special and that's what I really love about these races.

See you out there.