Strange days of summer

For some reason, I've been caught in limbo today unable to wake up and anxiously awaiting the results of last night's four-miler. I don't know what the results tell me that I didn't already sense, but still feel a relief now that they are published. With the results in hand, I can recount the rest of this diverse weekend.

When the whistle blew on Friday, I headed down to the mall and caught some Welsh musicians playing Welsh love songs. After a few rounds of sad tales from Wales, I went to a different tent of the Smithsonian's Folk Life Festival and danced to Caribbean beats. Those seeking more cowbell would have been pleased with the rhythms of six going at once. From there, I went to play some Ultimate with my rec league team. We were rolling until just after half-time, then the temperature dropped ten degrees, the wind picked up and rain started to fall. Nipping at the heels of the drops of rain were lightning, lots and lots more rain, and hail. The mad dash for the cars was probably my best cut of the day. To recap then: Welsh love songs, Caribbean dance grooves, and one wild little storm that brought plenty of tree branches down. I hadn't even made it to the bar yet.

Saturday left behind the power of the storm and brought forth the power of the Internet. First, I posted a few items to freecycle. These are the yahoo groups that put people in touch with others who may be seeking the very junk I'm throwing out. Within minutes, several someones had jumped at the chance to scoop up items for free. At first, I was quite pleased with this turn of events, but later after my stuff was gone and no human interaction had occurred I felt a little cold and wondered if I'd been used. I've gone back and forth feeling good and feeling unsettled about freecycle. I think I'll probably settle on the plus side, since stuff I'd planned to get rid of for months is finally gone.

The Internet was not done yet, though. I'd tried to gather a group to head out to run a four-mile race, but had not had any success. I was planning to get a Zipcar, when I happened to notice that one of my Facebook friends had included "running a four-miler tonight" in her status update. We hadn't communicated in a while, but I figured it was worth a shot, so I reached out and found success. I had a ride, race day company, evening entertainment, and best of all pie, all thanks to the Internet.

The four-mile race was a "Twilight" event, but the sun was still beating down when the started uttered, "Go". It was a larger race than I usually attend. They even had someone singing the National anthem. I worked my way into the third row and took off with the lead pack. I quickly found myself trailing twenty or thirty people moving fast. I had a race plan, but it was out the window. We were moving too fast for me and I knew it, but I was caught up in it. The first mile was 5:26. It was fast, but so was the course. The whole race was blurred by the hot sun and mounting pain. I would describe it later as "semi-fun" and that's all it turned out to be. The second mile was tougher, but I still felt like I was fighting well. I found myself using different muscles to try to stay relaxed and in the fight. I crossed the two mile mark at 11:15.

The course was two loops, so we'd seen it all before. I made it another half mile before my early enthusiasm started to catch up with me in force. I was passed by a pair soon after, including the eventual female overall winner. I struggled on and crossed the three mile at 17:00. The second/fourth mile had a slow uphill grade in the hot, hot sun, and they exacted their toll. I was passed by another. I tucked in and chased him, but could never quite pull even again. Pain was everywhere. With about 300 meters to go, I got nipped by another fellow and felt the footsteps of several more. I held the rest off for a finish of 23:10.

I ended up finishing 19th overall, 2nd in my age group (3rd if you count the 2nd overall finisher), but I have to say that I didn't enjoy myself a whole lot. I got a shirt and a burrito out of the deal, not to mention a race and a fun post-race evening, but the race isn't going on my list of favorites.