Keeping up with the pace car

Today's race was a good one. The weather was great...not too hot, not too cold, not too windy. The course was mostly through a wooded area; more trail running than road running. And while I know that my legs will be grateful for the softer surface, I much prefer running on the road. I tried to pace with Rachel. I should have known after the first mile that I wasn't going to finish the race with her. We did the first mile in 8:30. That is not a normal mile time for me. But, I stuck with her. We got to the 2-mile marker at 18:00. This meant that I had 12 minutes to finish to meet my goal of under 30 minutes. I had really wanted to stick with Rachel, but that last mile was a killer. My legs just started slowing down. I didn't have quite enough gas to get to the finish line with her. But, I gave it my all and took a minute off my time, coming in at 29:06 (5th in my age group).

And speaking of age; that was another thought that struck me as I was dragging myself through the woods. I am 31 years old and spending my Saturday morning chasing after people in the pursuit of.....what, exactly? I mean, it was so great to see Kevin and Rachel and Jason and Anne and the other family that showed up to cheer us on. But, I'm not sure I understand why I'm doing this. I will never be the person who wins the trophies or gets the recognition for racing. I guess today's race served the purpose of getting to take the Son on a couple more carnival rides. And he had a great time. So, that makes it worth it.