This is the closest I have ever come or will ever come to running high school cross country. See, most of the participants are high school kids. There are a few of us "elders", but I wouldn't be surprised if the average age is around 20.
The races are a fairly laid back affair. $3 entry fee. Course marked with flags on the trails and fields throughout the park. I was able to get out of work in time to get there by 6:00 and get in a couple easy miles to warm up. Caught up with a few other runners I know. Enjoy the August weather. Line up and wait for the horn.
It's kind of a trip running with the kids. A lot of them seem to not have the pacing thing figured out yet. But they do have some agility on the trails that eludes me. I sort of get going and build up a head of steam that continues steadily for three miles. I power my way up hills and plow a straight line from point-to-point. Chug chug chug chug. The kids sort of dart past me like hyperactive hamsters on speedballs as they get a burst of energy, then drop back when they hit the wall. I feel like the "jam car" on the toy racetrack I had as a kid.
Anyhow, I got in good workouts over the three weeks. It's actually a fairly tough 5K course, with a quarter-mile-long hill at the end. My best time was last week, when I posted 7:35s.
1 comment:
It is a fun little series. Love the imagery of the high schoolers as little hamsters :) Congrats on getting faster each week!
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