29. Race for the ARK, 2008

Here we go, yet again. Another year, another cycle through these same old races. I’ll miss them when I move away.

You can read about the Race for the Ark here. It’s a good cause, but to be honest, I don’t always pay attention to that. I’m there for the race. If my registration money is used to help people, then that’s a welcome bonus.

I have to admit… there’s a bit of sadness creeping in when I think about these events since I won’t be here for them next year. I just have to hope that I enjoy the northern running community just as much as the one we have here.

Before the Race

Of course Donna and Joanie were there, along with a few other people I’ve seen at various races here in Charleston. It was good to see them again. It was even better to find that finger foods were being provided for a quick breakfast. Summerville knows how to host a race.

As I was introduced to the others (again) I once again pondered my difficulty with names. I can keep faces in my head forever, but I need practice with names. Working at Starbucks definitely helps. My store is near several hotels in a tourist town. All I ever get is names. Still, it would have been nice to remember the names of the ladies to the left in these photos. They were really nice.

Too Fast for the Camera

I was planning to carry my camera with me again, but Joanie was quick with a veto. She said that I was getting too fast to carry the camera around with me.

She’s right, of course. I’ve been breaking 23 minutes lately, and only when I run hands-free. There’s a temptation to slow down at certain points, to pace people to get a good shot of them, or to let someone pass so that I can get a picture of whatever is behind them. Cameras don’t weigh much, but they bog you down anyway.

I agreed to leave it behind, and took some parting shots on the way to the car. As you would expect, this particular race was the setting for several cool and noteworthy events. There were some elementary school kids who blew past everyone, for instance.

We all expected them to use up their energy, but all they ran out of was race course. They were waiting for most of us at the Finish Line. Besides them, here was a little girl holding a sign, for instance. It read “Looking Good!” I would post photos of them, but… well, you know.

Finishing Strong

This course is just a little over 5K and there are a couple of inclines, so I wasn’t going to hit my record. Hell, I didn’t even break 23 minutes. I did finish strong, however, sprinting through the Finish Line with a loud roar. I really put everything I had into those last few seconds. I didn’t get a good look at the clock, but it was about 23:12 when I did check it. Therefore, I’m claiming 23:14 as my official time.

After the Race

I bumped into John and Monica after the race. Monica is continuing to trim down and John has put his knee back into service. They’re both trainers, so they know how to make changes in their bodies without wrecking them in the process.

In the end, this was a fun event, just like last year. Next year, however, the Race for the Ark won’t be on this website. That space will be occupied by some other event in another part of the country.