How Dumb Am I

In this new year, I have run two races already. The first one was a New Year's Day 5K in Arlington, on the Mount Vernon Trail along the Potomac near Key Bridge. The results aren't posted yet, but I ran the out-and-back course in about 23:28. That's only 66 seconds slower than the last time I ran the race two years ago. I'm being sarcastic here.

There's not much to report on it except I spent the entire race chasing a fellow I know, who is about my age, that normally I am faster than. I never caught him.

I think he's from Texas because when I went by him in a race last summer, about a mile in which is where I usually catch him, he was wearing those thoroughly obnoxious I-am-from-Texas shorts. You know, the red and blue vertically striped ones with a big white lone star on them. He's a prickly guy who is notorious in our running club for arguing with everyone about everything (I think he's a lawyer). When I went by him, I said under my breath, "Texas sucks." Because it does. Texas gave us both LBJ and W, our two worst presidents ever.

Usually I'm supportive of any runner I pass or who passes me in a race, I swear it. But I must not have gotten this unkind statement quite under my breath enough, because he looked at me sharply as I passed. As if he were memorizing my face.

So last Tuesday, at about milepost one I cruised on by this fellow as usual. Only he promptly passed me back. And he kept in front of me the rest of the way, no matter what I did. I hung back and then charged. I rode his shoulder. I gunned for him on the last hill. Nothing worked. He put me away. How dumb am I to have given him that motivation?

Today I ran a ten-mile race, which I'll tell you about in another post. I was only six and a half minutes slower than the last time I ran a 10-mile race, on another course a year ago. I'm being sarcastic here. One good thing came out of the race this morning though. Point apparently proved, this fellow let me pass him today per usual at about milepost one. I went by him very quietly. I also made a point of exchanging a non-descript pleasantry with him after the race.