Scream Scram 5k 2008

I just want to write a quick blog about the race I ran on Friday. It was pretty much a last minute choice--I'd decided after the Omaha marathon that I wouldn't run any races in October (with two in September and two in April, plus one more each in November and December) I was more than covered for the number of races I want to get in 2008). But my friend Keri told me about this 5k at Washington Park, and it sounded like it would be fun, so I signed up on Tuesday. Being a week before Halloween, runners were encouraged to show up in costume, which was likely to be interesting (fortunately for me, my running outfit pretty much is a costume).

The most interesting part about it for me, and really the reason for this story, was the friends I saw that night. Obviously Keri was there, and I figured I'd be able to spot at least one other Runner's Edge member (in fact I saw two: Dana and Jim, both out with their kids). I also saw some familiar faces from the Irish Snug group. At this point, I've become used to that: it's a pretty sizeable community, but when you go to a lot of events you're bound to see some familiar faces because everybody else is doing the same thing. Naturally membership in a running club (or two or three) helps those odds. I also saw some women I'd met when I saw "Spirit of the Marathon" in the theatres earlier this year (and whom I also ran into at another 5k I ran in June...see what I mean?).

But what really surprised me was seeing my friend Julie there. Julie and I worked on a show together in Parker last year, and I'm proud to say that I rekindled her interest in running at the time (mostly because I would never shut up about it). Although she had some false starts in the last year, she and her boyfriend ran this race and she happened to see me in the crowd. I was delighted to see her and very happy that she'd had a successful race. I'm sure I'll see her again at another race (if nothing else, probably the same one next year).

Oh, and I have to tell you about my finish. I ran a very good, strong race; and in fact my average pace matched my fastest 5k speed, so I'm happy with that. As I raced toward the finish line, I saw a small child--no higher than my knee--jogging up, and an adult--I'm guessing his mother, although I don't know that for certain--coming on his left. Since she was on the left, I decided to break to his right to pass him. Unfortunately, there was no room on the kid's right to pass. So instead, I leapt over him, hurtling across the finish line (and, thank god, managing not to kick him in the head as I did so). I sincerely hope somebody got a picture of that.