Two Races
I ran another road race yesterday. Two weeks ago I ran the Susan Komen 5K breast cancer “race for the cure” road race. It is a huge event in Boston every year with (I think) around 5 thousand runners and walkers. I ended up running it in a time that amounted to an 8 minute 11 second mile. I thought I actually ran faster and I am not sure if the computer chip takes into account the fact that it took me a couple of minutes to get past the starting line. Patti ended up walking it and pushed the kids in the stroller. It was a huge event and for a cause that is near to my heart right now.
This past Sunday I ran a 10K race called the Marine Corp Honor Run. This one was really close to my house and the course was in a really pretty wooded area. Patti pushed the kids in the a 5K shorter version. I ran 10K, about 6.4 miles, in around 52 minutes which is an 8 minute 22 second mile. Not bad considering the last 2 miles was up hill.
Couple of things.
- I should have run these things when I was 21 and in the best shape of my life. While I am up to about 8 miles for my normal jog, it is never a piece of cake. I remember when I played sports in high school and carried lacrosse to college, I could run forever and barely breath heavy.
- Races like these are a blast and the best part, other than the charity that the money goes to, is the free stuff at the end. If they provided free beer I would do two a weekend.
- The Komen race was kind of sad because of the topic. Breast cancer is no joke and while it celebrates the survivors just as much as the victims, it’s heartbreaking still the same.
- I thought the Marine Corp race would be a blast and, while it was fun, I forgot to realize that a large portion of the runners would be military men in their late teens or early twenties in the best shape that almost anyone could every been in. Add to that ex-military people and law enforcement runners who are generally fit, and I went from being fairly fast to being behind the pack. The race the week before I came in around the top 25%. This race I think I was more like 50%. And while the mood was somber at the Komen race, it was the exact opposite at the Marine Corp race. A lot of testosterone. And a lot of crew cuts.
- My father was in the Marine Corp in the 50s and other than his three charming and talented kids, and their offspring, I think being a Marine is the thing he is most proud of. I thought of that while running the Marine Corp Honor run. No amount of words can express the kind of respect that I have for all military people. While soldiers usually get something back like a skill or trade, they give more than they get back. I come from a long line of proud military folks (I even have a WW2 Congressional Metal of Honor winner in my extended family) and the single greatest regret I have in life (so far) is not working harder to get into a military academy. Like the military or not, it’s something to be proud of.
Even though I have been running for years, this is the first year that I am really focusing on it and getting serious about it. This is in large part because of Uncle Tim, and his multiple marathons. I think in a way it has changed his life and I am not talking about losing some weight. My goal for the rest of this year is to get to a half marathon, with a full marathon within the next 12 months. We’ll see how it goes after child number 3 is born in February.