An Excellent Mile

Last Saturday, David and I ran in "Paul and Mike's Excellent Mile" at Thompson Park in Amarillo. When I signed us up several weeks ago, I figured this would be a short, easy race. Somehow I forgot that this required sprinting an entire mile. When we entered the park, we saw the start line and the markers for 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 of a mile. Crap! It took a while to drive the course! What would it be like to run it??

I also made the rookie mistake of signing up for the "fast" heat. The race consisted of a heat for runners under 6:30, over 6:30, and for kids. I chose under 6:30. When the over 6:30 crew took off, and I saw many people who I know are faster than me running in that heat, I got really nervous. Almost everyone in my heat was male, fast, or below the drinking age.

The gun went off, and within 20 seconds, I was in the back of the pack. David, a born sprinter, took off. I ran as hard and fast as I could. My lungs and legs were burning like crazy, but I started catching up with David. As we passed the 3/4 mile marker, I knew I could catch him, but I also knew I needed some strategy to actually beat him. I decided to be as inconspicuous as possible while passing him, but he quickly saw that it was me. However, I thought that I still might be able to take him. All of a sudden, I heard footsteps approaching closely behind me, and I know it is him. Not only did he pass me, he also passed the guy in front of me. He got a second wind, and wound up with a time of 6:12. I had a 6:26, which made me really proud. I have been teasing David that he would have never recorded that time without me passing him. He owes me a thank-you!

The race brings up an interesting topic -- how do people run with their spouses?? I read these inspiring articles about husbands and wives crossing the finish line together at marathons, and I know this will never be me and David. David and I would be sprinting to the finish to "win." We have always had this healthy level of competition between us; it just makes things more fun. We are happy for one another for doing well, but we just want to beat one another, which makes it difficult for us to train together as well. It is best for us to train on our own and then attend events together. The world seems more peaceful that way...