And I ran...

Dear Reader,

Velo Amis, the kind folks that bring you the Granogue Races, put on an 11k/5k trail run at Lums Pond State Park in Bear Delaware last weekend. The run was a benefit for the Newark High School Field Hockey Team.

Benny and I both had on holiday appropriate green.

 After my duties were completed I made the decision to run the 5kish race. Perhaps not my best thinking. I am not much of a runner. So much the Wiser told me based on my running form, to never give up cycling. Deal.  It was a small field, and I really had fun.

So the gun goes off and a high school cross country runner takes off like a bat out of hell. He was gone. I figured he had it in the bag and was gone. We had nice little second  group going with Jeffy, Benny the Jewlar, Kita, Felix and I. I wasn't warmed up, and I'm not a runner, so I started doing what I do, which is talk. Thankfully, everyone slowed down so as to banter with me.

About 1.5 miles in I started to loosen up and I moved to the front of the group to set pace. Benny had been doing a great job of this previously. After a few minutes, Benny pulled up to wait for his nephew, and Jeff and I found ourselves clear of the group.

So here I am running on fireroad, in 3rd place of a run, well over my head. I am breathing really heavy, Jeff is not breathing hard. We hit the last mile which was all singletrack. I like running single track. Although my splits tell me otherwise, I feel like this was fastest section of the race, and as we twist through the woods, I notice we are closing in on the leader,  two more corners and we make contact with him.

this is bad, because I am hanging on for dear life, and if I have to sprint, I may never walk again.

I promptly almost trip on my shoe lace as it has come untied.  I stop, and tie it quickly (super pro move right). Jeff and the cross country kid get 20 feet on me... As we come to the clearing and the finish line is in sight, I hear Jeffy say to the cross country kid, "you led all this way, you should probably should finish this off."  And with that the cross country kid picked up his pace and ran for the win. Jeffy looked back over his shoulder at me, and held up for me catch up and we ran in together. Jeffy still not breathing heavy, me sounding like I was having a cardiac arrest.

As it turns out the cross country kid was a Chopko. I used to run around with his uncles a bit in my younger years. I felt really old, but it made the result even cooler...

Please allow me to digress. With no doubt Jeffy was the strongest of us in the race. Further, when we caught the leader, he could have attacked. He could have in my estimation easy won. But he didn't. He was cool, and the kid who worked so hard got his victory.  I'm proud to be friends with the Jeffy. Total Class act, and in my opinion a true champion. A true Champion, even if the kid is a bit of a dirty hippy.

so it was clearly, a very good day...

We had a nice little ride Sunday...

thanks for reading.

respect
fatmarc