My Brief Running Career

Early Sunday morning I got up and headed downtown to participate in the Memorial Marathon Relay. As I have been fond of saying recently, I don't enjoy running, but I entered at the request of my daughter, Elizabeth. She put together a team and asked it I would participate. I had two stipulations: I had to run one of the shorter legs of the relay and I had to be finished with my leg in time to go to church.

I ended up running the second leg which is 5k (3.1 miles). The runner of the first leg made excellent time and I received the microchip (not the baton) at 7:20. There was a large crowd at the transfer point and it was kind of funny for them to be cheering for me as I headed into the mass of runners. All along the way people were in their yards as I started running. They were cheering, encouraging and offering high fives. At one place they were handing out cups of Powerade. My mouth and throat were dry from all of the panting I was doing so I grabbed a cup. I have seen marathoners on TV who take a drink and throw the cup aside. I got some of it in my mouth as I attemped to drink while running, but most of it went down my chin. I tossed the cup aside. It felt cool to "litter legally". Then I saw the trash cans. I'm not all that. I should have thrown it away properly.

Thirty six minutes after I began I came to the transport point where I handed the microchip to the next runner. My part was over. I collected my medal, grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the place where the shuttle bus was to take me back downtown so I could get back to my car. There weren't enough buses, so I waited two hours to get on a bus. When a bus would appear, the hundreds of runners who, like me, had just finished their segment, would crowd toward the door. All of the encouragement, cheering and high-fiving was over. It was now every man for himself.

I finished running a few minuted before 8. I got home at 10:30. The morning worship service starts at 10:30. I dashed into the house, changed clothes without showering and headed for church. I got there at 10:50.

I'm glad I did it, but it didn't wake a new passion for running in me. I'm pretty sure I won't do it again, but who knows?