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Yes, this is a race report and I
finished dead last. There were no tee shirts, liability
waivers, awards or refreshments. I kept the official time,
for me at least. This all started with phone calls and
emails on Friday inviting me to a group run on the Trace.
Many of you know that I run most of my training runs alone.
Not because I am anti-social, but because I am selfish. I
can't resist the freedom of starting the run whenever I am
ready; the convenience of not driving to a meeting point;
the peaceful, rolling hills of my residential neighborhood;
or the serene moments I achieve deep within my own
thoughts. However, even a recluse needs some social
interaction, and a group run sounded like fun.
At the Jackson Station
congregating point, I started the hear reports of
absentees. Seems that Nestor needed another shirt and
trophy so he went to the coast. Joni and Audrey each had
plans for running later in the day, etc. It ends up the
other group members are Keith "da bull" Barrett and Jim
"grandson" Coll. I have run with these guys before, but
forgot they were both deep into their marathon training
programs and this was a cut-back week for them. I had
already put in a couple hard days this week, but thought I
could hang with them; expecting an 8:15 pace at the worst.
Well, we took off for Epley Depot and docked there 56
minutes later - a 7:47 pace. As I gasp for air, I croaked
out that my long runs were usually at a slower pace; to
which those two winked and stated that the return would
certainly be slower.
On the return I didn't say much.
I was too busy hanging on. Keith commented that this was
his target pace for Boston. Both told me more about NASCAR
than I ever wanted to know. The pace was just as fast as on
the outbound leg. Finally we crossed the mark one mile from
Jackson Station and I backed off. I finished about 150
yards behind my companions and knew I put in a good day. I
averaged a 7:50 pace. Whether Jim or Keith sprinted to the
finish, I don't know; I wasn't there! Keith made plans to
move furniture that afternoon and Jim took off to catch up
with Dawn to run a few more miles. My reward for the day
was laying on the couch watching the Golden Eagles give
Memphis all they could handle.
We have all read that if you want
to run faster, run with a group that is faster. Also, if
you need to go further, pair up with someone to draw
strength from. That was evident on the Trace on Saturday.
We saw Vicki helping Dawn through her last 22 mile
pre-marathon long run. Dwayne and Andy were making sure
they shared company on their run. Millie was leading Tony
through his paces. Our sport is inspiring, and I guess I
need to make more effort to get out and share my runs with
others. To Jim and Keith, thank you for a great
race. Regards, Steve Ulery
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