You know how you can tell you’re maturing (I’m so not going to say getting old)? You can no longer sprint from a dead standstill like a squirrel that just found a junkie’s speed stash but you can log 7 miles and barely notice, when the thought of running 3 miles much less 7 only a year ago would have made you lay down and convulse from boredom and fear.
So I admit it, I’ve matured. (The programmer raises his eyebrows in disbelief.) Okay, okay, my running style has matured.
With my new found maturity and a dash of Olympic motivation (how can one not feel compelled to get off the couch and do something, anything, after watching these fabulous athletes?), I’ve been searching for local races. While I’m not the most competitive person on the planet, I think a race or two would be useful to get me out of my current time rut (my mile pace has been the same for the last month and a half) and I’m getting bored with my current route and am searching for a new venue.
Luckily, there’s a plethora of race options in the VA-DC-MD area. Actually, too many for an over-analyzer like me. Should I play it safe and just do a 5K? Or should I go right for the 10K – a distance I’ve never run in a race? I ran cross-country in high school (cussing and whining the entire way), so I have competitively (haha) run 5Ks. Or should I be pie in the sky and go for a half marathon in a month or two (I’m actually now logging about 10 miles a run)? Do I want a road race or a trail race? Will the programmer join me or be waiting in a lawn chair with a beer at the finish line?
I think I narrowed my options down to the following three:
Safe Option: Habifest 5K in Columbia, MD on September 20, 2008 at 8:00 AM. One of the things I love about road races is that they often support great non-profits and causes, such as this one that raises money for Habitat for Humanity.
Slightly More Ambitious Option: Run Through The Grapevine 8K in Mt. Airy, MD on November 2, 2008 at 10:00 AM. An 8K is only 4.97 miles but the course is described as very challenging (and probably even more so if one sneaks a wine tasting before the race). Then there is the wine tasting after the race…yum.
Ambitious Option with psycho package to add on: The fall Backyard Burn Trail Running series presented by EX2 Adventures. I could pick the 5.5 mile or 10 mile option and sign up for all four races as one package (the psycho option on my part, as I might be crying for mercy by November). But the races take place on some truly beautiful trails…
The next question is whether I can lure the programmer out of his cave to come and play with me. He just completed a mega-project that has literally kept him glued to his chair for the last nine months and one of his first orders of business in trying to return life to normal is getting back in shape. However, the programmer isn’t a runner. He’s a swimmer, a diver, a lacrosse player, and an ommming yoga master (the man used to be able to handstand on his thumbs and hold the position while zenning). Crazy cool, but I don’t consider yoga a sport…I don’t sweat…because I can’t do half the positions. Why?
Because yoga is: Twenty Million Positions that Cause Anya’s Shoulder to Escape from Its Socket.
The programmer considers running: The Sure Way To Bring on a Massive Asthma Attack and Cripple Myself with Shin Splits.
Yet, we’re trying to do more things together and want to spend time outside (aka, away from our computers). So maybe if I do the shorter races, tape his inhaler to his head, and bribe him with the promise of beer, food and even wine after some of these races, he might just join me. And remember, I’m not competitive, we can bring up the rear of the pack (a la the shuffler) as long as we do it together (cue cutesy sighing and cooing). Plus, while I’m not competitive and am willing to give up improving my mile pace if the programmer runs with me, the programmer, on the other hand, is super competitive, and I just may be once again whining for mercy by November.
