5K Completed

It was foggy, relatively cool in Harrisville, West Virginia this morning. I got up, got dressed, walked to the registration table and put my 12 dollars down along with my registration form.

My shoulder still hurts. There are a lot of younger, fitter runners here. Heck, there are a lot of older fitter runners here. My shoulder hurts more. What am I doing here?

The race event staff is good, and friendly. Every question I have is answered. I warm up a little. I go to the bathroom. No port-a-potties here, we get to use real bathrooms in the basement of the Ritchie County Courthouse.

At 7:50, there is a brief welcoming announcement. Most of the people in Harrisville are still asleep. Then it is a half a block walk to the starting line.

The horn goes off, and I am dodging walkers and slower (yes there were some of those) runners up to the first turn.

I settle in to a nice, slow pace. At about 3/4 of a mile, I look over at a yard on my right and there is a turtle on it's back. I figure since I am not blazing the course, I need to help the turtle. I stop, walk two steps into the yard, gently flip the turtle right side up and continue.

At each of the three waterstops, I walk, drink, and thank the volunteers.

By the third mile we are back to Main Street. My legs are more rubbery than I remember them getting. My breathing is loud - at least to me. But there is a smile on my face. I have nothing left for a kick, and I don't care that I get passed in the last hundred yards. I did it!

Yes, my calves are stiff. Yes, my right hip aches a little. But it was worth it. Hey, I even won a door prize. So with the T-shirt, and the door prize, I actually came out ahead. And I feel better.

If I find the race results, I will either post them or put up a link.