"We're on for tomorrow - right? I need to get there early to warm up a bit. I'm having a little issue (interior lower calf that is irritated). I am going to try to find a way to tape it. Do you know anything about these things? Don't worry - I'll be good to go - I'm a trooper.”
That email was from Jane Watson, my partner for the Couples Relay, a 10K split into two 5K legs run by coed teams. I’m looking forward to this race a little more than others, and Jane seems pretty excited too. It may be that we haven’t run together and barely know each other, or maybe it’s just that this is a rare opportunity to run a relay. I will find out that Jane is just as competitive as I am, and I think the normal psychological lift of running gets a boost when two or more people are working together toward a common goal.
I call Jane about her injury and to make race plans. Jane’s says she’ll wear a waterproof jacket made for running. I don’t even own such a garment. I’m a wimp when it comes to weather. If it’s not dry outside I run in the gym. The forecast calls for rain, which leads me to think of all the wardrobe and motivational possibilities for the race. Do I bundle up, wear training shoes and take it easy, or should I risk ruining my race shoes in the rain and go with normal race attire? Should I push myself, or accept that I’ll probably run slowly in the bad weather and just cruise around the course?
Saturday’s dry weather turns to a steady rain Sunday morning. I decide to go with the race shoes, but I’m still undecided about what to wear. I’ve got a pair of shorts under my tights, and I can choose between a singlet and short-sleeved shirt. I meet Jane and her boyfriend Paul outside the boat house at Lake Merritt. Jane says her leg is fine and she’ll be fine for the race. I tell her not to worry if she needs to hold back, but she’s pretty sure she’ll be able to go all out.
After the women start I go to my car to get ready. Some runners are wearing minimal clothing. I usually need to see just one person in shorts and a sleeveless top to ignore any chill, so when I notice some runners dressed that way I go with the shorts and singlet. The ground is too wet for stretching, so I do a quick warmup, trying to run straight through the puddles instead of adjusting my steps to avoid them. I’m not too successful. I have an instinctive reaction to try to keep my feet dry. I can’t ignore the puddles and my feet seem to have a force field that repels them from the water. Other than that, the running is comfortable. I actually find the rain pleasant, or at least different.
Paul agrees to hold my t-shirt until I’m done. Now there’s nothing to do but wait. Jane says she’ll do her leg in about 20 minutes. A few minutes ahead of her some high school girls reach the touch-off point. I then notice Steven Chavez (M50) from San Ramon getting ready for his wife to arrive at the exchange point, telling his kids to stay with Mommy when he’s running. Steven is a phenomenal runner, and unless I have a lead of a minute or two I know he and his wife will finish ahead of us.
Carrie Chavez finishes her leg and touches Steve. He’s off. Not long after Jane slaps my hand. I quickly acknowledge her effort.
“Good job!”
“You can do it, Larry!”
I take off and suddenly remember I hadn’t set my watch to track my time. Too much time sitting around, or too many distractions, I don’t know why I forgot to change it. Now I’m shuffling as fast as I can while pushing buttons on my watch. In five years of racing I have never done this, but I manage to get the watch on the stopwatch setting about 10 or 20 seconds into the race.
Jane finished in the low teens among the women, so I’ve got a few people ahead of me. I quickly pass two, and before we hit the next mile I pass another. It’s kind of fun, catching others from behind. I run the first mile in about 5:35, which is pretty good given the weather. Lake Merritt is a flat course, but contains a number of turns. The sidewalk that we run on is modestly wide, but the lake is a favorite place for pedestrians of all speeds, and numerous streetlights and trash cans narrow the sidewalk in many places. These obstacles force me to step onto the street and jump back onto the sidewalk fairly often.
About two miles in I pass Ralph Gowen and then approaching the third mile I pass a high school runner. The last phase of the course goes over a hill, which causes my heart to feel like it’s lodged in my throat. I pass the finish as the clock reads 40:14 for Jane and me.
I feel rejuvenated after the run, nothing like the post-marathon fatigue and pain I had a few weeks earlier. Several minutes later Jane, Paul and I stroll over to the awards announcements. I won this race in 2006 with Diane Dove as my partner. The next year Diane and I finished first in our age group and third overall. We didn’t receive anything for our results, and I’m not expecting anything this time.
To my surprise and delight the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders are giving gift certificates to each age group winner! First place in our age group (combined ages 60-99) is a gift certificate to a restaurant I’ve wanted to visit, Flora. Jane and I place second, about a minute and a half behind Carrie and Steve Chavez, and 11th overall. I’m very happy with the result, but Jane is not so satisfied.
“I could run faster,” she says.
I assure Jane that we couldn’t have beaten the Chavezes, but she’s not convinced. She has a year to work at it. It’s an ambitious goal, but if she wants to try to win next year, I’d be glad to be her teammate.
That email was from Jane Watson, my partner for the Couples Relay, a 10K split into two 5K legs run by coed teams. I’m looking forward to this race a little more than others, and Jane seems pretty excited too. It may be that we haven’t run together and barely know each other, or maybe it’s just that this is a rare opportunity to run a relay. I will find out that Jane is just as competitive as I am, and I think the normal psychological lift of running gets a boost when two or more people are working together toward a common goal.
I call Jane about her injury and to make race plans. Jane’s says she’ll wear a waterproof jacket made for running. I don’t even own such a garment. I’m a wimp when it comes to weather. If it’s not dry outside I run in the gym. The forecast calls for rain, which leads me to think of all the wardrobe and motivational possibilities for the race. Do I bundle up, wear training shoes and take it easy, or should I risk ruining my race shoes in the rain and go with normal race attire? Should I push myself, or accept that I’ll probably run slowly in the bad weather and just cruise around the course?
Saturday’s dry weather turns to a steady rain Sunday morning. I decide to go with the race shoes, but I’m still undecided about what to wear. I’ve got a pair of shorts under my tights, and I can choose between a singlet and short-sleeved shirt. I meet Jane and her boyfriend Paul outside the boat house at Lake Merritt. Jane says her leg is fine and she’ll be fine for the race. I tell her not to worry if she needs to hold back, but she’s pretty sure she’ll be able to go all out.
After the women start I go to my car to get ready. Some runners are wearing minimal clothing. I usually need to see just one person in shorts and a sleeveless top to ignore any chill, so when I notice some runners dressed that way I go with the shorts and singlet. The ground is too wet for stretching, so I do a quick warmup, trying to run straight through the puddles instead of adjusting my steps to avoid them. I’m not too successful. I have an instinctive reaction to try to keep my feet dry. I can’t ignore the puddles and my feet seem to have a force field that repels them from the water. Other than that, the running is comfortable. I actually find the rain pleasant, or at least different.
Paul agrees to hold my t-shirt until I’m done. Now there’s nothing to do but wait. Jane says she’ll do her leg in about 20 minutes. A few minutes ahead of her some high school girls reach the touch-off point. I then notice Steven Chavez (M50) from San Ramon getting ready for his wife to arrive at the exchange point, telling his kids to stay with Mommy when he’s running. Steven is a phenomenal runner, and unless I have a lead of a minute or two I know he and his wife will finish ahead of us.
Carrie Chavez finishes her leg and touches Steve. He’s off. Not long after Jane slaps my hand. I quickly acknowledge her effort.
“Good job!”
“You can do it, Larry!”
I take off and suddenly remember I hadn’t set my watch to track my time. Too much time sitting around, or too many distractions, I don’t know why I forgot to change it. Now I’m shuffling as fast as I can while pushing buttons on my watch. In five years of racing I have never done this, but I manage to get the watch on the stopwatch setting about 10 or 20 seconds into the race.
Jane finished in the low teens among the women, so I’ve got a few people ahead of me. I quickly pass two, and before we hit the next mile I pass another. It’s kind of fun, catching others from behind. I run the first mile in about 5:35, which is pretty good given the weather. Lake Merritt is a flat course, but contains a number of turns. The sidewalk that we run on is modestly wide, but the lake is a favorite place for pedestrians of all speeds, and numerous streetlights and trash cans narrow the sidewalk in many places. These obstacles force me to step onto the street and jump back onto the sidewalk fairly often.
About two miles in I pass Ralph Gowen and then approaching the third mile I pass a high school runner. The last phase of the course goes over a hill, which causes my heart to feel like it’s lodged in my throat. I pass the finish as the clock reads 40:14 for Jane and me.
I feel rejuvenated after the run, nothing like the post-marathon fatigue and pain I had a few weeks earlier. Several minutes later Jane, Paul and I stroll over to the awards announcements. I won this race in 2006 with Diane Dove as my partner. The next year Diane and I finished first in our age group and third overall. We didn’t receive anything for our results, and I’m not expecting anything this time.
To my surprise and delight the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders are giving gift certificates to each age group winner! First place in our age group (combined ages 60-99) is a gift certificate to a restaurant I’ve wanted to visit, Flora. Jane and I place second, about a minute and a half behind Carrie and Steve Chavez, and 11th overall. I’m very happy with the result, but Jane is not so satisfied.
“I could run faster,” she says.
I assure Jane that we couldn’t have beaten the Chavezes, but she’s not convinced. She has a year to work at it. It’s an ambitious goal, but if she wants to try to win next year, I’d be glad to be her teammate.
I finish 13th out of 1,977, fourth in my age group (M40-44). It's the third time in a row that I've run a marathon in 2:53. This seems to be one distance that I'm destined to not improve upon.