Run for the Parks 10K

Somebody please cue up the Nelly Sweatsuit album, because I'm setting the stage for a story about victory and celebrating the only way I know how. Today, I ran in my first 10K: The Run for the Parks, put on by Potomac River Running (PR Running) to benefit the US National Parks Service. Running races can be really expensive, so I am always glad to be supporting a great cause with my registration money. I liked this race in particular because I've spent some time running on the National Mall, so I feel good about putting some money behind its upkeep.

I didn't know much about PR Running before I picked up my swag bag and race number at their store in Falls Church yesterday, but from my brief experience with them today, I was very impressed. For one thing, they hooked up the first 800 registrants (which I assume covered every single person who registered) with some super fly Saucony jackets embroidered with the race logo and a really nice commemorative pint glass. I know that some runners are in it for the medals, but this kind of functional swag is what I prefer.The event itself was pretty low frills. When I arrived this morning, there were a few hundred people gathered around three tents and the starting line. My typical goals with running are to do my best and to finish the course, but I also have a paranoia about coming in last. I know somebody has to come in last, and I know there's no shame in it, but it's just part of my involuntary pre-race ritual to convince myself that everyone might pass me. Seeing the crowd this morning did not help my last place anxiety. You should have seen the calves on these people lining up at the starting line. I swear to God they all had calves like Titans. I was preparing to eat their dust.

The race started at 8:00, and we started out on a flat "there and back" course along the Potomac River. Along the way, we were able to see the Solar Decathalon and some fisherman out at the river, but any other notable sights must have been blurred out by my being so intensely in the freakin' zone. Those six miles did not come easy for me, but when I crossed the finish line I was pleased to see that I had a time of 1:01:38, way better than I had expected. I had planned to use this race as a qualifier for a time corral at the Disney World Half Marathon in January, so getting a good time was pretty crucial. Phew! That some of the participants finished the race in under 40 minutes is something that I can't wrap my mind around, but I think it has something to do with their divinely chiseled calves.

After I crossed the finish line, I grabbed a bottle of water and a stack of cookies from the feast-0-carbs being offered by PR. Then a rainbow appeared in the sky. Then Marine One flew right through the rainbow. And I'm pretty sure the President was in it. If that's not an appropriate scene to accompany a feeling of victory, I don't know what is.