In October 2016, my whole reason for running was to prepare for The Buck Fifty Race 150 Mile Team Relay. Back then, I was working on being able to keep pace with my overactive enthusiasm and less than active running prowess. I ended up finishing 6th with a time of 20:48 and it was one of my initial back-to-running diary entries. Quite an entertaining read now that I have a pair of half-marathons and well over a 1,000 miles under my belt.
Despite having been a competitive runner in my younger days, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into as a new member of the 40-something "Look Ma', I Can Run!" crowd. We have the best of intentions, but they don't always go the way you planned. A female patron at the library where I work knows this well, I believe.
On Thursday, working our front desk, this woman walks up to my desk companion to apparently pay a $0.20 fine. Being about seven feet away, I over hear her tell my co-worker that she decided to go to her instead of "over there", motioning in my direction. My co-worker thinks she is joking and laughs it off. Moments later I hear the woman, who now obviously looks unhappy, say she is never coming back to this library because "He", meaning me, "is so rude." Perplexed, I turn and look at my co-worker - who is just as lost as I am - then I glance at the woman who gives me the "you kicked my puppy across the street" look and storms out.
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Live Hard. We Got You.
I ask my co-worker, "What just happened?" She doesn't know either and I know for sure I hadn't waited on her that day. We I look up the account and I don't recognize the woman's name or her photo and neither does my counterpart. I can't even recall answering a phone call from this patron in the recent past. Unable to recollect what may have taken place, I chalk it up to one of those moments not in need of further attention.
Joking about it on Friday, the mystery was sort of solved. Another co-worker had misunderstood her inquiry regarding her account and - technically - gave wrong information (though didn't actually DO anything wrong). Even after follow up questions to make sure she was hearing him correctly (she apparently knew what she was hearing didn't sound right), the same information was given. Now, I don't know how the transaction evolved, but I do know this was a face-to-face communication.
The incorrect information ultimately resulted in the stated $0.20 fine, but this co-worker and I aren't similar in any way, shape or form. I'm half a foot taller, I wear glass (he doesn't), I have more hair (how!? I know what you mean, but its true), I'm slender and he...um...isn't, our first names share only one letter and they don't even sound remotely alike when pronounced.
I was somehow mistaken for another co-worker. Though she was apparently hell-bent on giving a piece of her mind, even if it didn't belong to - or wasn't meant - for me. I guess it probably would have ticked her off even more by pointing out her mistake, so I'm glad I kept those thoughts to myself (and regarding that piece of her mind, it now resides in the library's lost & found with the random mix of cell phones, thumb drives, clothing remnants and stupid questions).
See what I mean....best of intentions.
The Miles for Marion 5K route is one that has become all too familiar to me. It consists of a portion of every other route I take in and around my fair city. Though it may not sound like much of a challenge, it does create a bit of a quandary. Last year I was simply attempting to finish and with the ensuing months of training, I have been able to create decent pace structure for distance. The wrench in the process is that the 5K is the distance version of a sprint. So general pacing goes out the window and you have to crank it up a notch. This race would be part nostalgia and part experimenting with what I could do when faster miles are a necessity.
Despite having been a competitive runner in my younger days, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into as a new member of the 40-something "Look Ma', I Can Run!" crowd. We have the best of intentions, but they don't always go the way you planned. A female patron at the library where I work knows this well, I believe.
On Thursday, working our front desk, this woman walks up to my desk companion to apparently pay a $0.20 fine. Being about seven feet away, I over hear her tell my co-worker that she decided to go to her instead of "over there", motioning in my direction. My co-worker thinks she is joking and laughs it off. Moments later I hear the woman, who now obviously looks unhappy, say she is never coming back to this library because "He", meaning me, "is so rude." Perplexed, I turn and look at my co-worker - who is just as lost as I am - then I glance at the woman who gives me the "you kicked my puppy across the street" look and storms out.
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Get a discount on your next pair of @shadyrays, Next Generation Shades, by using my promo code: "Simpson" https://shadyrays.com/
Live Hard. We Got You.
I ask my co-worker, "What just happened?" She doesn't know either and I know for sure I hadn't waited on her that day. We I look up the account and I don't recognize the woman's name or her photo and neither does my counterpart. I can't even recall answering a phone call from this patron in the recent past. Unable to recollect what may have taken place, I chalk it up to one of those moments not in need of further attention.
The incorrect information ultimately resulted in the stated $0.20 fine, but this co-worker and I aren't similar in any way, shape or form. I'm half a foot taller, I wear glass (he doesn't), I have more hair (how!? I know what you mean, but its true), I'm slender and he...um...isn't, our first names share only one letter and they don't even sound remotely alike when pronounced.
I was somehow mistaken for another co-worker. Though she was apparently hell-bent on giving a piece of her mind, even if it didn't belong to - or wasn't meant - for me. I guess it probably would have ticked her off even more by pointing out her mistake, so I'm glad I kept those thoughts to myself (and regarding that piece of her mind, it now resides in the library's lost & found with the random mix of cell phones, thumb drives, clothing remnants and stupid questions).
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| Miles for Marion - an out and back on roads I've put hundreds of miles on. |
The Miles for Marion 5K route is one that has become all too familiar to me. It consists of a portion of every other route I take in and around my fair city. Though it may not sound like much of a challenge, it does create a bit of a quandary. Last year I was simply attempting to finish and with the ensuing months of training, I have been able to create decent pace structure for distance. The wrench in the process is that the 5K is the distance version of a sprint. So general pacing goes out the window and you have to crank it up a notch. This race would be part nostalgia and part experimenting with what I could do when faster miles are a necessity.
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| The giant pumpkin face start & finish line |
When it comes down to a start time, I prefer a quick announcement or two then the gun. On this day, I think the folks spent a good ten minutes giving announcements and reading off all the sponsors. I'm antsy to begin with and now I'm twice as keyed up - just stop talking already! A fellow racer, Dan, looks about ready to jump out of his skin and says to me, "They could have done this 30 minutes ago." I continue adjusting my watch as the longer we wait, the more it keeps resetting itself.
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| Dan (in the green) and I out front. |
Now cruising alone, I get to the water stop/turn around and see Dan moments later. My lead is decent and feel like I'm now chasing my escort as I head up a steady incline on the return trip (this is where I hit the wall the year before - mile 2: 6:17). Passing fellow runners, there is an intersection where the road changes from two way to a one-way. Its a traffic island that creates the slightest of curve on the straight away. Here, those coming toward me are covering most of the lane - so the golf cart has to slow down to give them time to move over.
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| Chasing the escort on the return |
Now on an incline to the finish, I wanted to see how close I could get to the cart before he sped up. Noticing how comfortable I felt made me laugh at how difficult this part of the race was in 2016, running regularly for a full year does have some advantages. I finish keeping a decent stride through downtown and into the giant pumpkin face finish. A little winded, but not overly tired - I think my body was just happy I didn't run a third half-marathon within the four weeks time. I could feel it wanting to high-five me a "thank you" for having to survive a only 5K.
The chip time had me at 18:19, the gun time had me at 18:22 - a full 1:20 ahead of Dan and the rest of the pack. That's about 2:30 minutes fast than last year's efforth. The victory garnered a three month membership to the Marion Family YMCA , a $10 gift card to Sansotta's Fresh Italian and a variety of grab bag-like, Marion-related items.
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| Perfect weather on a perfect race day |
I really don't know Jose, but you get to "know" fellow runners by simply passing them on a regular basis while traversing the same roadways and seeing each other's names on race results. Same goes with Dan from Saturday's 5K, its funny at how many people you get to know through running without ever actually meeting them. It's an unspoken code that's universally accepted in our close-knit community. You don't see that around much these days.
An official year of racing completed, with a variety of distances covered, and a desk drawer of finisher medals to boot. As long as my knees continue to hold up...I'm sure we will cross paths sooner or later.
I see you there. Go ahead and wave, I know who you are.
***Race day photos courtesy of Lauren McComas (THANKS L!)***
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
My life
You electrify my life
Let's conspire to ignite
All the souls that would die just
to feel alive
I'll never let you go
If you promise not to fade away
Never fade away
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
Far away
This ship has taken me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live
or die
I'll never let you go
If you promise not to fade away
Never fade away
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Our hopes and expectations
Black holes and revelations
Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
I just wanted to hold
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| Another race shirt |
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| Early race results - notice the 11 & 7 year-olds clobbering the adults |
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| Race winner SWAG |
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| Saturday morning sunrise from the start line. |
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| Post race java at 505 Coffee |
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