Havelock 5-K

It was raining when we awoke this morning, and a south wind was blowing it into the windows beginning just after midnight with a kind of sizzling sound.  The forecast predicted sunshine by 8:00 a.m., but it did not look promising.  We normally do not sleep well before a race of any length and this morning was no exception.  But the starting time was a leisurely 10:00 a.m. and Havelock is only 30 minutes away, so we had plenty of time to prepare.

The race is a small one (a hundred runners) benefiting a Catholic School, and it is not very well-advertised; but we knew it would be a good tune-up for some more ambitious races on the horizon, in particular the Crystal Coast Half Marathon and 10-K.  By the time we left the condo, the rain had stopped exactly as predicted, and the sun was almost shining by the time we arrived, streaks of blue sky off to the west; by starting time, the sun was out, and conditions were near-perfect for a race, temperatures in the 50s and a light breeze.  Martha had competed against another woman in her age group last year, Cathy, and she was there again.  It is always a good thing to have someone just a little bit faster to push the pace a little!  And Cathy is a friendly, gracious runner, as most are.  I ran against a man the same age as me who was a lot faster, a Boston Marathon veteran many times over who showed no signs of slowing.  As expected, we both ended up taking second place to these worthy competitors.

These small races are a lot of fun.  Although there was chip timing from a company the organizers had hired, there was a paucity of finish line food or other extras.  The shirts were technical ones, though, and the medals were also nice.  For an extra charge, finishers could stay for a pancake breakfast, but to both of us pancakes and syrup are not appetizing after a race.  I wandered around the gym in which registration and awards were held, watching the other participants; there were many children, including toddlers whose parents were preparing to push them in strollers.  There were ten-year age groups, except for the 10-12, 13-15, and 16-19 age groups, recognizing the many children running.  I spent some time taking photos of the motivational signs posted on the walls in the gym.

What great rules to live by!  And not just for young athletes but for all of us.  Imagine what a better nation we would be if Senate Democrats and Republicans could Listen to Each Other and Brainstorm a Solution Together!

We both ran well on this flat, fast course, although the distance was longer than five kilometers, as it had been last year.  I calculated what the real 5-K time would have been, and Martha finished under 30 minutes in 29:28, while I finished in 34:22.  For me, this shows encouraging, though glacially slow, progress since surgery last year; in November I finished a 5-K in 34:27, and in December 34:25.  It is astonishing how satisfying a mere three seconds can feel for an aging runner!

 

I was remembering that sign on the wall of the gym, not far from where we were standing for this photo.  Did I do my best work?  Yes.  We both crossed the finish line having done the very best we could have done.