I found a fun and quite low-key race in Rock Creek Park today. It was a pleasant 2 1/2 mile jog to get there, then a warm-up, then a 5K on a rugged course. We went downhill steeply for about 3/4 mile, then downhill gradually to the turn, and then back -- gradual up, steep up! I spotted the eventual winner at the start line by his (sorry for observing this) really, really great legs. There were a handful of others that might once have been serious runners, or were on their way -- third place went to a high-school kid, and the third woman was a 12-year-old girl. F__, with whom I ran a 20-miler four-or-so weeks ago, won the women's title.
At the turn there were 4 of us together; the winner was already 30" or so ahead. We all looked at our watches and took a collective gasp, as the downhill half had gone improvidently quickly. I had a rare (for me) instance of deeper understanding that I wasn't the only guy dreading the next 10 minutes, and I managed to keep the winner in sight and hold on for second.
Hung around for some bananas and a low-key awards ceremony, then jogged home. This is a marvelous time of year for running in DC.
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