They Must Be Angels

Today's Run to the Lake shares the same date on the calendar with Maylee's fifth birthday party. The party is six hours later, but there is a cake to pick up, food to pack up, a 5-year-old girl to dress up, and a party space at Children's Fairyland to fix up. After some lobblying with Mandy, I am able to run the race, and I have a great day thanks to intervening angels.

Age is creeping up on me, as my time was more than half a minute slower than two years ago. On the other hand, today's result gave me 10 medals for 2009, the most in any year. I still have the half marathon at the San Francisco Marathon at the end of the month and then the fall racing season after the August/September hiatus. Seven medals came from races that I usually place in, but then I got lucky at Tilden, returned to the Martinez Brickyard faster than I was four years ago, and captained a team that captured the mixed masters crown at the Lake Tahoe Relay.

• Mandy: First angel is Mandy, who made it possible. She said I could run the race if I rush home and skip the awards ceremony. I ran six seconds slower than last year, finishing first among master's runners and seventh overall in a time of 39:04. This kept my streak of six races and six medals since 2004 alive. At some point the inevitable conflicts between this race and Maylee's birthday will keep me from running, but not in 2009.


• Steven Chavez: I finally figured how to finish ahead of Steven Chavez. In his early 50s, Steven runs faster than nearly everyone, and always finishes well ahead of me. As I passed the fourth mile, Steve was dressed in full warmups holding a trash can. "Why aren't you running?", I asked. "I'm volunteering," he replied. I gave him a thumbs up and kept running. By the fourth mile he's usually out of my sight. Maybe I could beat him if he carried the trash can to the finish line.
  
• John Notch: Running the fifth mile, I came upon a man with a full beard and head of white hair. Tall, athletic, and looking like Zeus, it was the legendary John Notch. He carried a crossing guard stop sign, running from one intersection to another to direct traffic. I had a chance meeting with John at a dinner party several years ago. He said he was one of the original members of the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders. The reality is that he founded the club, and recorded several amazing feats, like finishing second in the 72 mile run around Lake Tahoe, a single person event that isn't even held anymore. I said hi as I pass him, and he cheered, "Hey Buddy, looking good!"
  
• Tim Smith: I had to get home so I missed the medal distribution. Tim agreed to stay with his mom Suzette and pick up the award for me. That was a very nice gesture. Thank you, Tim.
  
• Josh McDonald: A young man approached me and asked how I did. He won the race, and it's pretty unusual for strangers who finish several minutes apart to discuss a race. I told him I was a few seconds slower than last year, but felt good about the run. I then asked him when was his next race, and he responded he would either run the steeplechase at the Junior Olympics or attend Ryan Hall's running camp at Big Bear. Thinking that I may be in the presence of a prodigy, I asked Josh if I heard of him. He said maybe, that he finished first and second in consecutive years in the North Coast Section high school track. Impressed, I asked if he was going to run in college. He said he was going to run for Liberty University, and wanted to run for a Christian school. He's a senior at Redwood Christian High. He has wings, he's fast, and is a person who takes his faith seriously. Josh must be an angel.