I Ran

I ran.. even though my body was trying to tell me not to. I ran... even though my wife encouraged me to sit this year out. (She was probably right, but don't tell her I wrote that.) I ran.. because I'm stubborn. And man, today I hurt.

That's the frustrating story of the 2011 New Haven Road Race for me.

Laboring over the finish line

I'm not a "serious" runner, but running has kind of grown on me over the last couple of years.  I may do 3 miles or so, 3 times a week. I only do 3 races a year -- the YMCA/Rotary 5K on Thanksgiving Day, the 5-Mile Branford Road Race on Father's Day and the 20K New Haven Road Race on Labor Day. But I look forward to those races. I look forward to competing -- not against the field of runners, just against myself.


That's what makes this year's New Haven Road Race so frustrating. Last year, I finished in just under two hours. I was proud of that time. It was only my second time running that distance -- about 12.4 miles. I was hoping to be around the same time this year. And for the first half of the race, I felt good -- had a good pace. But around mile 8, my calf seized up... my hamstring tightened... and my toe throbbed with every step. My body was (figuratively) collapsing like the Mets in a September pennant race.

But I finished. This Labor Day, I labored over those final four hours. There were a few times I wasn't sure I'd make it to the finish line. But I did -- on my feet and not on the back of a NHFD golf cart. And, as I've gotten used to saying when it comes to the Mets, there's always next year.


Today's Title: Awesome 80's hair