SW Dave
Bless you is all I can say. I fail to understand why family members will say and do things inside the clan that they would never do outside. Enjoy your time on the boat. You and your immediate family have earned it.
WW Dave
Congratulations on the exam results. As you get older the stakes on big exams are so much higher. Not just the stakes involved, also everyone knows you are taking the thing and you don't want them to know you missed it. I hope you are justifyably pleased with yourself.
Now to the continuing saga of Craig running in Boulder . . .
Tonight was the Boulder Road Runners bi-weekly track meet and I volunteered to help out. I also took my gear, just in case.
Well just in case lasted about 5 seconds, as when I walked onto the track the sign up table was there, calling to me. I thought about my very dear friends
Cam and Rhonda, who put it on the line in this year's marathon, and I cannot let them down (DLF>DNS). I put down my $2 and sign up for the mile. I looks promising because the 3 names already on the list were +/- 5 years from my own age. I change into my gear, stretch, and start to warm up.
The mile is the 2nd event, the 100 meters the first. I am running the backstretch, sometimes easy jogging, sometimes 200 meters or so at race pace. The disturbing part is a lot of people are doing the same thing, all obviously running the mile, and swear to god all of them have legs that come to my shoulder. I'm 5-11 and these guys all are built like antelope. All I can think of is this isn't the smartest thing I've ever done.
The 100 ends and all mile runners are called. The director looks at 30+ runners and asks, "who will run under 6 minutes?" Over half the group raise their hand
. He then asks, "who will run under 5:45?" About half the people again raise their hand
. He says, "okay, the first heat will be the sub-5:45 group, the second heat will be the slower runners." I step out of the way, watch the first heat go off, and wonder what the hell I've gotten myself into.
The winner of the first heat runs about 5:20, the rest finish under or close to 6, and we're up. It's a waterfall start, and I start in the second row of runners, hoping to not get trampled.
"Ready, Bang." We're off. I try hard to let the front group go, but within 50 meters I'm in oxygen debt. It strings out, I try to not blow up in the first lap, and go through the first 1/4 in 1:46. Maybe 5 seconds faster than I wished, but I'm not in trouble yet.
I enter the turn and I come up on a little boy, who looks to be 6 years old at most. He is 15 meters in front of me, and everyone is yelling, "go Isaac." Thankfully they don't add "and stay in front of that dinosaur." I ease off the pace in the second lap trying to save something and little Isaac zooms off. The 1/2 goes by and I can't even remember the split. I'm still running in the cheering section with Isaac, and the 3/4 goes by. I hit the turn and pass Isaac, wondering if I should pop him with an elbow just to make the point that age and dirty tricks will overcome youth and skill every time. I'd have to bend over to do it so I let the opportunity pass.
With 300 meters to go I come up on a gentlemen, somewhere between 55 and 60 I suppose, and I fall in behind him. He is faltering at the 200 meter point, so I come up on his shoulder. We run the turn together, I'm taking it a bit easy, and I plan to blow him away in the last 100. We come out of the turn into the home stretch and he does the "jump to hyperspeed" and literally covers 4 strides for every 3 of mine. Heck, I didn't really want to pass him anyway.
I finish in 7:23, and I suspect if I had run a perfect tactical race it wouldn't have been 3 seconds faster. There were 16 runners in the heat, and I finished #12. HAH, no DLF. Unfortunately, every one I beat appeared to have been born after 1997.
All in all it was a humbling and unbelievably exciting experience. I haven't run in a track meet since 1986, and I had so much fun it has to be illegal. It was also a true inspiration, as one guy in my heat, 60 years of age went sub-7 minutes. I would love to keep this up and continue to find small bits of improvement in the next 10 years.
And lastly, there were 200+ runners and family at the meet, and when everyone finished they received cheers and support. I honestly don't know where else in year 2007 American society where you can find an atmosphere like that.
As I look back over the past 2 years as I've fought calf injuries, I'm really pleased with my result tonight. I've run for myself, for my wife and daughter, and for my running clubs, my wish club and my BRR club. I could never have done this alone. Thanks for the help.
And, of course, in the spirit of personal competition, as I get fitter this summer and fall training for January 13's marathon, 1 cool and dry day I'm going to the track to break 7.
Love you all
Craig
the alternated will happen on Saturday.
And thanks for the birthday wishes!
Hey
.did Molly ever have her meeting with Puma? Howd it go?
for a speedy recovery. 
KIDS????
I am sure she will love it she is really looking forward to it. THanks for the info.
healing wishes for the Queen's
foot.
