May - be this wasn't such a good idea

Pure calendaring challenges made this month's race the one for me. It was a small race around Burke Lake Park, which is local to me and one I have been around quite a few times. The race was hosted by a running group and not by one of the local stores/race management companies. It showed.

We started off by a plastic water bottle and ran until the guy with the ipad said stop. Ha. They did have a timer set up along the road and it was clear this is a group that runs together all the time. I was hoping to make some running friends, but this group was so close, it wasn't easy to strike up a conversation.

So there were about 30 folks racing. One girl I chatted with that had potential, but she was way faster then me. Isn't it funny how we check out potential running buddies? Why was I was looking, well my running buddy from the hood was moving to Delaware. Boo!

Anyways, we started off from our makeshift start line and I was immediately behind. There was one pair that I seemed to be staying current with, seemed like a brother and sister. We made our way around the parking lot and we actually went through another race's balloon arch. I felt strong going all the way around the lake, a strong run/walk pattern and making the most of the downhills.

I finished the 8k at 1:06:08. I was happy with that. Everyone else was hanging around some picnic tables that had coffee and donuts. I checked in and then decided to pack it up and head home. As I was getting settled in my car, I noticed an overweight man making his way up the road. In an impulse I jumped up and started jogging next to him. I was with him all the way in, making some noise to try and get the group to recognize this perseverance in their midst. They didn't leave the tables, but we did get a few cheers.