Last Place Runner

My usual running volunteer wasn’t at the group run last night. When the time changed, our normal route had to change, too. And we were running 18 minutes. Plus, my GPS watch was not picking up satellites and I had to make the decision to just run without it. So I was kind of unhinged when it was time to go and my usual running buddy wasn’t there.

It worked out fine, though, because the man who thought I was another volunteer on the first night ended up running with me. I’m a mid-pack runner, certainly not in the front but a long ways ahead of the back. So far behind and ahead that it can seem like I’m alone out there during group runs. But James kept me going.

Before we took off, Coach told us about the new route we were taking. He said some of us would definitely reach a certain spot, but I briefly considered the distance and stopped listening for what to do next. There was no way I’d make it that far in 18 minutes. But here’s a tip: Don’t ever stop listening when your running coach is giving you directions. Especially when you’re a pretty solitary runner and it’s dark AND it’s rush hour.

Again, James to the rescue. We crossed the square and passed the courthouse. Then an easy downhill eased into an uphill. James told me to shorten my strides going uphill. He’d get ahead, then run circles in a driveway until I caught up.

We ran past the spot where I stopped listening and onward toward the entrance of the art museum. Eventually, James told me we’d made our first mile. My watch wasn’t tracking pace or distance, so I wasn’t sure how far along we were in our time. We were to run 15 minutes then head back, running for the remaining three minutes, and finishing up with a fast walk for 12 minutes. When we were walking, I asked what time we’d hit the mile mark.

Remember when I did my first mile in 15:05? Running with James last night, and mind you he’s probably in his 50s, I ran a mile in 13:04. That’s two full minutes off my time!

I ran 20 minutes on my own tonight. I didn’t do quite as well as I did last night, but I still improved on 15:05. I hit the mile at 14:38. No, it’s not fast. But it’s faster. And I’m not out to win races. I’m running because it isn’t easy for me. Because I’m tired of being fat. Because I’m getting pretty close to 40 and, frankly, I really need something to do.

I didn’t mean to write so much about the group run. I wanted to talk some about how losing a little bit of weight makes a big, big difference. But maybe having changes to talk about will continue to be the motivation to run. So if you’re reading this, thank you, and I hope you’ll come back to see my progress — and know that it can totally be your progress, too.