Run for the Park

This morning's Run for the Park 5-K was a big step forward in my recovery.  My fifth race this year - one in every month so far - I completed this 5-K in a time almost as fast as 5-Ks I ran last year pre-injury, and faster by a good minute per mile (30:29) than the ones in January (33:11) and February (33:38).  My races in March and April were 4-miles and 6.2 miles, but the per-mile pace shows continuing improvement.  And much to my surprise, I took home a first-place age group award and I am actually walking around relatively pain-free this afternoon, enjoying the satisfying glow of a good race.  I have run some mile repeats recently, and Wednesday I ran an easy 4 miles with two blistering (for me) 400s thrown in:  2:05 and 2:00.  I did so well after this fast running that I may now be able to return to my weekly mix of intervals, hill runs, and long runs, which seems to work for this 67-year old Highlands Roadrunner.

It was great to see so many Highlands runners come out for this race and to be able to spend time visiting with them, catching up on those things that runners talk about:  How is your training going?  Do you have any races coming up?  Young Davis Moore won first place male (and leapt up on the stage to receive his award in a single young bound), and Carolyn Morrisroe took first place female and tied her PR.  She is a young runner and every race spells a new PR.  80-year old Jim Askew beat me by a good minute or two, and it was all I could do to stay ahead of 77-year-old Fred Motz who I caught toward the end of the first mile.  So many friends! - even Helen Tankersley showed up, all the way from Birmingham.  The only conspicuous absence, sadly, was Martha, whose asthma has been bothering her so much this month that she has been unable to complete the necessary training.

What a good day it was, though!  What could be better than that feeling of powerful, steady pushing forward through race fatigue, passing other runners and getting passed by other runners, staying focused, calling out to volunteers along the way and hearing their encouraging words, and then coming down that long exhilarating final hill on Fifth Street, rounding the corner, and crossing the finish line knowing that I could have done no more than this.