A Good Day

1:53:10. Perhaps that says enough. Yesterday's half marathon was a good day. Despite condor-sized butterflies, the day went just great. It was cool (high 50's), overcast, with just a slight breeze. Rain threatened all morning, but did not start until I was headed out of town after the race. Under two hours was what I was shooting for. I ended up taking nine minutes off of my previous best time for this distance. I am pleased.

This was the third time I have run the Mora Half Marathon and the organizers and other volunteers do a great job with a realtively small race. The people in town are friendly and the course has a nice blend of city and country without much for hills. There is a certain camaraderie around races like this. People who do not know each other chat amiably before the start. You may make a comment to someone along the race course that you have never seen before. Close to the finish people are cheering for each other. I think that it may be something about the shared accomplishment and the common experience of enduring through the event.

Yet a race like this means diffferent things for different people. Completing 13.1 miles may be every bit as significant for the person who finishes in 2 1/2 hours as it is for the person who completes the race in 1 1/2. Who knows what stories lie behind each runner's path to the starting line. For one it is another step in a well-correographed training program. For another it is a step toward renewed physical health and fitness. For yet another, it is creating mental space to think about things that must be pondered.

For all that and more, I love running.