A longer run
There was a near perfect moment, when the race
was two thirds done. As we made our way back through the woods and then around
the pond, it began to snow: large, slowly falling flakes so thick they blocked
sight of everything more than a few dozen metres away, then melting as they hit
the ground or water.
During that time, about five or ten minutes, the
aches in my knees and lower back went away. My laboured jog became an effortless
pace. This was, I remembered, why I used to
run.
It didn't last. The snow stopped and the moment slipped away.
As I passed the 4K mark one of the other runners said it had been 44 minutes since the gun. That was what I'd hoped to finish the race by. I sped up, trying to pass the person ahead of me, a first time racer I'd chatted with earlier. But after a short while, my legs grew tired again and she pulled away. By the end of the course I was exhausted, my feet were numb and frozen, and I couldn't quite understand what Dan and Alex were saying as they led me into the tent and got me a coffee.
The boys had finished much earlier of course, and Dave and Patti, who had entered as walkers, showed up soon after me. The five us had come to Essex and joined more than 600 other participants in the 5 and 10 k events of the Jingle Bell run/walk/wheel.
I was disappointed not to have done better, but had the consolation of knowing it had been a most unusual race. For the first time in 14 years something went wrong with the organizers' plans. It wasn't the weather. Indeed, after two days of freezing rains, Sunday morning's chilly breeze and occasional flurries were quite welcome.
No, this race will long be remembered, for most of us going the wrong way. Where we should have made a right turn to head out to the parkland, there was no marker or official to guide us. So the leaders, and we followers, kept going straight down the main street of the town. Eventually, a kilometre later, someone noticed.
Soon after I looked up to see hundreds of runners coming at me, like a herd of buffalo, many of them yelling to us slower folk, to turn around. I was not happy to hear this, and started to walk in a bit of a sulk. But most of my comrades thought it was a lark, and chastened by their example I started running again.
There were no official results, as the extra distance each racer went varied with how fast they were.
When the times were posted I calculated that I had at least bettered my pace from previous 5k efforts this year, as a walker. But I didn't come close to the 42 minutes I'd achieved last week, on the treadmill at the gym. Probably should have done some roadwork to get used to the colder weather.
I've taken it easy this week, only one short workout on a no impact elliptical trainer. Hips still hurt a bit, as they have ever since I fell last winter, but my legs are good. This race I wasn't embarrassed to wear the brace on my right knee, since it didn't show under my track pants. When I ran a 3k back in September I forgot to bring the thing, and was limping for days afterwards.
The pain in my hip is a bit annoying, but apparently not serious. An x-ray and an ultrasound earlier this year didn't show any damage and one doctor suggested it might help to build up more muscle in my rump. Maybe there are some machines in the gym that can accomplish this.
On the other hand, I noticed today that my weight loss program is back on track. While I was doing training runs my weight stabilized. After each race it began dropping again, this week by a little over 2 pounds. Now I'm at 187, down from 225 in June. Still on a low carb diet, no grains and only the odd potato. Instead of bread I added wine back in, about 2 glasses most days, sometimes more.
The next big test in my quest for fitness, is Christmas. Will I give in, as I did last winter, to the siren calls of eggnog and fruit cake?
******
Here's one of the more experienced participants in the race, Jean Spurgeon. She competed in the 75 and up age group. The race committee gave everyone a postcard with her picture on it, and a message from her on the other side. See the text below.
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearances, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."
It didn't last. The snow stopped and the moment slipped away.
As I passed the 4K mark one of the other runners said it had been 44 minutes since the gun. That was what I'd hoped to finish the race by. I sped up, trying to pass the person ahead of me, a first time racer I'd chatted with earlier. But after a short while, my legs grew tired again and she pulled away. By the end of the course I was exhausted, my feet were numb and frozen, and I couldn't quite understand what Dan and Alex were saying as they led me into the tent and got me a coffee.
The boys had finished much earlier of course, and Dave and Patti, who had entered as walkers, showed up soon after me. The five us had come to Essex and joined more than 600 other participants in the 5 and 10 k events of the Jingle Bell run/walk/wheel.
I was disappointed not to have done better, but had the consolation of knowing it had been a most unusual race. For the first time in 14 years something went wrong with the organizers' plans. It wasn't the weather. Indeed, after two days of freezing rains, Sunday morning's chilly breeze and occasional flurries were quite welcome.
No, this race will long be remembered, for most of us going the wrong way. Where we should have made a right turn to head out to the parkland, there was no marker or official to guide us. So the leaders, and we followers, kept going straight down the main street of the town. Eventually, a kilometre later, someone noticed.
Soon after I looked up to see hundreds of runners coming at me, like a herd of buffalo, many of them yelling to us slower folk, to turn around. I was not happy to hear this, and started to walk in a bit of a sulk. But most of my comrades thought it was a lark, and chastened by their example I started running again.
There were no official results, as the extra distance each racer went varied with how fast they were.
When the times were posted I calculated that I had at least bettered my pace from previous 5k efforts this year, as a walker. But I didn't come close to the 42 minutes I'd achieved last week, on the treadmill at the gym. Probably should have done some roadwork to get used to the colder weather.
I've taken it easy this week, only one short workout on a no impact elliptical trainer. Hips still hurt a bit, as they have ever since I fell last winter, but my legs are good. This race I wasn't embarrassed to wear the brace on my right knee, since it didn't show under my track pants. When I ran a 3k back in September I forgot to bring the thing, and was limping for days afterwards.
The pain in my hip is a bit annoying, but apparently not serious. An x-ray and an ultrasound earlier this year didn't show any damage and one doctor suggested it might help to build up more muscle in my rump. Maybe there are some machines in the gym that can accomplish this.
On the other hand, I noticed today that my weight loss program is back on track. While I was doing training runs my weight stabilized. After each race it began dropping again, this week by a little over 2 pounds. Now I'm at 187, down from 225 in June. Still on a low carb diet, no grains and only the odd potato. Instead of bread I added wine back in, about 2 glasses most days, sometimes more.
The next big test in my quest for fitness, is Christmas. Will I give in, as I did last winter, to the siren calls of eggnog and fruit cake?
******
Here's one of the more experienced participants in the race, Jean Spurgeon. She competed in the 75 and up age group. The race committee gave everyone a postcard with her picture on it, and a message from her on the other side. See the text below.
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearances, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."
Posted: Sat - November 22, 2008 at 03:26 PM
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Published On: Nov 22, 2008 06:25 PM
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Published On: Nov 22, 2008 06:25 PM