Accidental racer

My “running career,” such as it were, is essentially over. Oh sure, I still run, on a somewhat regular basis, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. But they are mostly social outings with the Hyde Park Early Birds (our run group’s unofficial name), and I am grateful for each and every run I can complete. Our schedule is pretty set.
 
Mondays = We meet at the CVS plaza in the middle of town, usually for a flat and easy recovery run, to account for the other guys in the group (not me) who may have run long and hard over the weekend.
Wednesdays = Our hardest (and my favorite) run of the week, meeting at Netherwood Elementary School and doing a 7- or 8-mile course that is hilly, rural and often on dirt roads. It is similar to a “race” effort for me.
Fridays = We meet at Marist for a 6-mile run, often up to College Hill Golf Course. It is not as easy as Monday’s runs, but not as difficult as Wednesday’s runs. A perfect blend and a nice way to end the week.
 
So, there you have it. The rest of the week, I intersperse some walking – much more this time of year, when I have more time + the weather is nicer (although, I do a mind-numbing amount of “Loser Laps” in our indoor track in the winter, as well). And, oh yeah, every August, I do my one and only “race” of the year – an 8-hour ultra in Pittsfield, MA. That’s it!
 
This long and rambling introduction was necessary groundwork to why it was so remarkably noteworthy – stunning, to close friends – that I actually pinned on a bib number and ran a race last night. And not just a “race” – a TRAIL race! Those aforementioned dirt roads? I don’t enjoy them. I’d rather be on smooth pavement. I don't like trails of any kind. I struggle on uphills – I’m just not that strong on them anymore. And, I’m an objectively terrible downhill runner – too tentative, gawky form and … just not good at it.
 
Add it all up and it begs the question: What the HECK was I doing over at Minnewaska State Park Preserve on Wednesday night, for the Summer Solstice Trail Run? Good question! Here’s the answer: Schneider, the official czar of the Wednesday Netherwood runs, was out of town on business. Tony, a true trail lover, was signed up for the Solstice race. That left Dave O and me for the Wednesday run, and we instantly agreed, “screw it, might as well just do the Minnewaska race instead of Netherwood.”
 
And voila! There we were.
 
How infrequently do I race? This is the first race in which I had a Garmin watch on, and a good thing, because there are no mile splits out there on the beautiful carriage trails of Minnewaska. The entire race was either uphill (much more difficult than Netherwood) and bone-jarring downhills (which I found much harder to navigate than the uphills). I got through it, knees sore and my sensitive feet burning and bruised (not to mention my ego), at around 9:15 pace. Was it “fun?” Uh, no. But, it wasn't that bad. The long walk back to the parking lot acted as my cooldown, and I unapologetically stopped for junk food on the way home. On the longest day of the year. Neat! As my friend Krys likes to say: It doesn't have to be fun to be fun.