"What was your time?" The question caught me off guard. It's the first time somebody has asked me that following a race that wasn't family or a friend. Thinking this had to be the latter, since I was standing in my hometown, I answered before even recognized who asked me, "20:13". I didn't recognize this woman and as quickly as she asked and got my response she was gone. That was weird.
Two years ago, it was letting my parents finally see me race. Last year, it was about CT setting her sights on winning "her" trophy, but turned into her dad getting to see her race and me watching my mom run her first 5K. This year, while I wouldn't say it is a goal, I'm motivated to run my hometown race in the "19's". While I haven't been specifically training for doing this, it has been on my mind. But, I already spilled the beans in the first paragraph my time, it should be obvious that I didn't get in the "19's", but there's always more of a story.
CT and I have a habit of mirroring each other, just not at exactly the same time. When she has a great race, I usually have my worst race and vise versa. If one of us is healthy, the other is fighting some nagging injury. Last year, I had just hurt my achilles a few days before this race. It was a game time decision how hard I could even push it and there were some tender laps done in the parking lot before the race testing my ankle. This year, it's CT limping around the parking lot trying to deciding if she's going to run or not with what we think is runner's knee. Even though I was worried, I was optimistic that it probably wouldn't be comfortable for her, but she'd still be able to run and I know she'd be fast enough to do well. Within about ten feet of warming up though, I could already tell it wasn't going to happen. Luckily, I didn't have to convince her it was in her best interest to give this race up and run another day, she decided for herself. She might, be learning this thing called better judgement when it comes to her body! Shocking!
Personal glory is great, but one of the parts that I like about this race is we both win. It's only happened twice, but both times we've ran, CT and I walked away with medals. Thirty minutes before the start, I already knew it wasn't going to happen this year. That's a psychological hit. It bums me out that our streak is coming to an end. This whole summer I've gone minimal, no headphones, no music, but I needed to fall back on my bread and butter song to do some soul searching as I warmed up.
Vanity is gone, as I lined up for the start. The shirt is coming off and staying off, watch out! Rrrrrrrip it goes as the gun fires. The first mile was pretty typical, kids starting out too quickly and getting burned out in the first half mile. When I hit the first mile I was at a 6:12, which is slower than I wanted to be. At this point I knew the 19's were going to be very hard to pull off. What's next on the goals, if I can't get that one? Well, who's ahead of me because I still plan on placing! There's a kid about half my height just ahead, no real worry that he's in my age group, though I had to smile because he didn't like me passing him and proceeded to pass me again, which only gassed him more and that was the last I saw of him. Next was a guy that could be in my age group, lacking lots of hair though, but he was breathing like Death was one step behind, figured I had him. By mile two, there weren't very many people left. There was a girl and an old guy within striking distance. Neither of which would be in my group, but it did hurt my feelings that it wasn't until the last turn before I knew I'd get the old guy.
Rounding the last turn, I could see the clock and it just hit 20:02. All hopes of the 19's really did vanish at that point. I didn't have the heart to blow past the girl in the final stretch, because even though I lost my vanity, I'm still a good guy. Now, had there been a 19 on the clock, all bets would have been off, but that's just between us. This is where the picture was taken, yes that's me getting chick'd at the end!
I ran back to do what is now the traditional run in with my mom. CT thought I should have coached her harder, but she did great and whether she knows it or not, in the final stretch I had already decided who she was going to beat to the line, which she did.
Now, back to the rest of the story. Why did I get asked my time? It's because I'm now holding the first place trophy! Watching where the woman went after walked away, she ended up walking up to one of the guys I passed in the middle mile, now holding a second place medal. Almost sounds like something CT would do. Pretty sure I have a target on my back, for next year.
Twenty years since I left this town, I came back in the year 2013 to post a 20:13 and win "MY" trophy!
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