Another Beautiful Race Morning

In retrospect, it was uncharitable of me to accuse the Cocoa 5-K organizers of providing an ill-fitting shirt.  It fits perfectly!  It does, however, depict the expected cute logo of the Chocolate Festival, which appears to be a chocolate bar running, in fear and trembling I suppose, for a bite has already been taken out of a corner of its body by some pursuing chocoholic.

It was a good morning!  We awoke in plenty of time for the short drive across the bridge to Morehead City's handsome Civic Center complex.  It is always exciting to see runners milling around, some of the lean young boys already warming up, families pushing strollers, dogs wearing T-shirts - the usual hustle and bustle before a small charity race.  The sky was clear, the chilly wind had died down a bit - perfect conditions!  We talked to two young women who admitted this was their first race.

The course itself wound through many parking lots, and then went along a sidewalk beside busy Arendell Street before entering a quiet residential area, an out and back course.  But the speed bumps and cracks were a concern, and one young woman fell hard on the sidewalk early in the race.  I was fearful of a similar mishap, stubbing a toe and reversing in an instant all of my gains over the past few weeks.  But I did no such thing, and was pleased to run 3.1 miles non-stop at a faster pace than I had expected - 10:30 miles for the first two miles, and a finish time of 33:11 - good enough for second place in my 10-year age group.  And, more importantly, relatively pain-free.  Something of a comeback for me.

Martha was the real champion today, however!  She ran strong and fast, finishing in somewhere under 29 minutes (exact times were not available - there was a mix-up, as there often is in a small race like this) and taking first place in her age group.  I was proud of her - when we circled around the barrel at the half-way point, she passed by looking strong and fluid, her neck and shoulders straight, with a determined look on her face.

If there is a better way to spend a Saturday morning, I do not know what it is.