The Fun Run: The only race I'll ever win

The trick is to not tell anyone it's a race. See, everyone who shows up for a Fun Run believes it's just for fun and they can take their time, chat, and meander along. Wrong! It's on baby!

I recently attended Charm City Run's Brooks Fun run event. I opted for the 6 mile loop. People just took off at their leisure and I felt I would do the same. I took my time exiting the store, did my dynamic warm-ups and after I noticed the crowd thin enough I took off on my route.

Charm City provided us with cue sheets and I spent some time analyzing the route. There were many, many turns but it was a great route that seemed to spare us the insane hills I was all to aware of in the surrounding neighborhood.

After I felt I was sufficiently warmed up, I set into my comfortable pace. Not race pace mind you, just a nice brisk pace. As I went along I just kept passing more and more people. Let me say, I was determined to make this run just as leisurely as the rest of the pack, so much so, that I didn't even bother to look at or start my watch.

I kept passing people until finally I passed the last (or first) one. I was in the lead! I suddenly had the pressure of the leader and so I looked over my cue sheet; the last thing I wanted was to mislead the pack! I was thinking to myself, "So this is what it's like to be winning"

As I was on the last few miles of the run a couple was approaching me from behind. They would pass me and I would pass them and so on. I really was not in the race mind frame so I let it go. Well, the woman of the duo dropped something and I was behind at the time so I stopped and handed it to her and she gave me an abbreviated 'thank you'. Now, if this were a race I would have stepped over the item and let it be her problem, but like say, it was just a fun run. Shortly after this exchange I was ahead of them again. But, once again, they caught me. I said in my most cheeriest voice, "Well hi again" which was received with dead silence. Maybe they didn't hear me, however I still felt slighted.

It was then that my favorite running song, "Furr" came on my iPod. That was all I needed and we three (the mute couple and I) hit flat ground. At this point I was done running in silence with people who had no intention of putting the 'fun' in the run. So I kicked it in to race pace and pulled away from them.

The last leg was when the race was in full swing. I could just imagine the exchange the couple had when I pulled away from them. "Honey, you do whatever you can but don't let that skinny little twig win". So the guy of the pair left her in the dust, caught up to me and passed! Now I had to ask myself how important it was that I beat this guy. I really didn't want to be the first one back and look like the tool of the run so I let him go. It was not worth killing myself especially since there was no finish line, time clock and extra incentive to finish first.

I did not set out today to race, it was not my intention. However, when a challenge presents itself I will bull through it to the point of stupid. Today I raced, today I could have won, but I tapped into my inner-running wisdom instead of my unrealistically competitive side. I will race another day.