Coming On, Doing It, Finishing Strong

Yesterday I wrote about the Gate River Run while I was in a lot of pain. Today, thanks to the horse meds, I’m feeling a little bit better, and I’m writing a more upbeat take on the event. I love the running community. I’ve never been around a group of such genuinely positive people. Everyone at a race is happy to be there, even though we all make the same joke about how we would rather be somewhere, anywhere, else. Maybe it’s because misery loves company, and make no mistake running = misery. The guy who came in second of the whole damned race is quoted in today’s Times-Union saying, “I was glad there was fog, so I couldn't see how much [Hart] Bridge there was to go. It doesn't matter how good you feel; it's always going to hurt like that." All 12 thousand plus of us that crossed that Godforsaken monstrosity yesterday felt the exact same way, from the winners to the people struggling to stay ahead of the straggler truck. I know it makes me feel better that people finishing in less than 45 minutes think the bridge is an obstacle and wouldn’t mind it not being there, just like I do. I love that everyone who’s ever run this race has thought the exact same thing as they passed Beach Road Chicken, SH*T! As bad as the Hart Bridge is, crossing the finish line is infinitely better. Sometimes it just takes a little time to pay its cathartic dividends. Not only am I proud of me for finishing, I’m proud of everyone that finished. Professional fighters – world champions - talk about respecting anyone who steps into the ring/cage. That’s how I feel about runners. I think we all feel like that. How else can you explain people that have already finished the race backtracking along the course for no other reason than to encourage the people that haven’t finished yet? JG commented that she thinks I can finish in an hour and fifteen minutes next year (sounds like a wager). If I do, I think I might be one of those people climbing back up the Hart Bridge. To quote Bill Clinton, “I feel your pain.”