Perfect Carma

"Your backpack's got naked people on it!"

Someone from my party at the Run Wild for a Child race has called me out for something that I realized this morning. The backpack that I received for running the 2008 Napa Marathon has a bottle of wine with a coed couple streaking on the label. The backpack was the right size for today's race, and it elicits a string of comments about stripping, going green by going nude, and Bay to Breakers.

We stay fully clothed, but reluctantly peel off our long outerwear in the brisk morning air. The weather is beautiful but enjoyed better with more layers. With 25 miles to be run between the five of us, shoulders, arms and legs are exposed twenty minutes before race time.

Suzette Smith (at left) drove the group of us, which includes her son Tim, Jane Watson (second from right), Debra Cramer (on the right) and myself. We carpooled in Suzette's Prius, which must give our fivesome one of the smallest carbon footprints at the race. Thanks to Suzette I was able to enjoy what I consider one of the most spectacular entrances to any city, the westbound Bay Bridge emerging from the Treasure Island Tunnel. I've made this commute daily for 10 years. I tried to include a clip of it here, but the video file was too large.

The girls run the 10K and the guys the 5K. This is a tough field, and I finished fifth last year when I was in better shape. I would have placed in last year's 5K, and given that I haven't run anything longer in four months, I decide not to torture myself. Tim has run once in the previous three weeks, so he's not going to exert himself either.

I start fast and pass two Impalas whom I planned to pace against. As with most 5Ks there's not much to talk about. Fatigue hits about halfway through the race and one of the Impalas, Liz Gottlieb (F334), passes me and wins the women's race in 18:05. I finish in 18:30, 17 seconds slower than at the Primo's 5K in October, but good enough for third in my age group. I never seem to run well in Golden Gate Park, which is a shame since it's such a great setting.

The course may be a bit more difficult here, and last year's 10K was only six seconds better when adjusting for the distance. My knee and foot held up better than in any race since the Run to the Lake in July, and I ran the first mile only five seconds slower than normal. My main problem is that I am a bit out of shape, and can't sustain a max effort over much more than a mile.

My brother Martin greets me at the finish line. His wife Kathy is running the 5K as well. The last time I saw Kathy was at the St. Michael's Day Dash in St. Louis on September 27. This time Kathy has different attire, as she's dressed as a Lego block for the costume contest.

The women in our group clean up in the 1oK. Jane (F45) takes third in her age group in 43:56, Suzette (F54) is second in 46:21 and Debra (F52) is right behind Suzette in third. The medal winners all had pretty similar performances when adjusting for age and gender. Suzette's run ranked 76% (of the world record) in the age-grade scale, and the other three of us were within 3% percent of her. We're pictured below with our medals. Tim, the glue that holds us together, is right in the middle.

My medal was the 13th of the year, a new high. It was also the 50th since I resumed running in 2004. The big winner was Kathy. She won two nights at a swanky hotel for finishing fourth, first among individual competitors, in the costume contest.

Great weather, friends and family, great place for a race, and tons of fun. Perfect carma.