Just keep swimming

(photo courtesy http://www.kiwanismidnightrun.com/)

Friday night, July 3rd, my baby ran her fastest 5k in a few years.  It was the Kiwanis Midnight Run over the Dunedin Causeway.  Based on pre-race factors (such as two prior workouts, a self-defense class and a random dinner of rice, coffee and an expired Cliff bar) none of us (me, Wendy or Greene) were planning to set any personal records (PRs).  Oh yeah, and the race really is at midnight.  I am a night owl; Wendy is typically in the dark recesses of REM by 11pm; and I think Greene is somewhere in the middle and will have to weigh in on her typical sleep habits;)  

However, when the gun went off, so did Wendy Bartlett!!!  We three started the race together- bobbing and weaving through the masses of people, catching glimpses of each other, speeding up and slowing down, trying to get in a kind of groove together. Greene and I found some space and fell into a rhythm but Wendy was off the grid.  No worries, I thought, she likes to do her own thing. 

The first mile clicked off on my Garmin at 9:05.  Not bad with such a dense group at the start.  Also, Greene and I were running the 10k race (which follows the 5k conclusion) so we were not trying to kill it.  We chatted along joking about dinner and hoping neither of us saw it again while keeping an eye out for Wendy.  Both the 5k and 10k courses are "out and back" routes.  I kind of like an "out and back" course because you get to see and cheer for the race leaders as they fly by and look and cheer for your friends as well.  Bonus--people watching passes the time, deflects aches and pains and keeps dark thoughts away!  

Just after the turnaround my Garmin chirped notice of mile 2 and an 8:46 pace-whoa, faster than expected!  We were not sure about Wendy at this clip but then I thought I caught a glimpse of her smiley face bandana just ahead of us.  Trigger pulled - chase on - off to the finish. 

There were still quite a few racers on the street which kept us in a zig zag pattern until the final finisher chute.  Mile 3 beep signaled an 8:30 pace and Wendy was still a ghost. We both thought she was behind us.  As we crossed the line a smiley face bandana girl brought us water--say what?!?  Wendy was smiling ear to ear with a glow all around her.  She just crushed that race!  BAM!

It is a beautiful sight to see someone's hard work pay off and we were a witness that night. Congrats baby!  And a huge shout out to Greene for hanging with me and keeping the conversation flowing and my mind off running.  It was a gorgeous night and morning filled with surprises, friendship and harmony.  

Lace up friends, you never know what a race will bring:)