I'll start with my usual rambling about my running addiction. Today, I ran the Go Commando Half Marathon in Clarksville, TN. While many of the intricacies of the better races located in big cities were absent (ie: big, extravagent race expo, mile markers where they are supposed to be, extensive crowd support, etc), the course was absolutely great. This was heralded by the race website and organizers as a fast, flat course. My reconnaissance of the route the day prior led me to believe however, that this was going to be a race to simply complete, and I held no hopes of anything more. Boy was I wrong.
I ran the Commando with my longtime friend and former college classmate Marcus. This was his first official race, as he recently got into distance running after hearing my stories and addiction to racing. We trained together for the most part, and did several 13.1 mile training runs in preparation. All that training paid off, and despite the four mile stretch of hills and valleys in the middle of the course, I landed a personal best for the half marathon of 1:40:06, and Marcus came in 36 seconds ahead of me. It was a great run.
Beyond the great course and PR I set, it was another chance to get out and work for our wounded veterans. While at the race expo, we signed up to serve on Team Red White and Blue. Team RWB is a non-profit that works with our wounded to assist in their integration into normal life after suffering injuries in combat. One of the members of our team ran the race in a gas mask, setting a Guinness record for that feat. Running in the Team RWB t-shirt and working with the team was a huge motivator. It's also great to know we can do something, small as it may be, to help someone injured in Iraq or Afghanistan settle into normal life again.
No comments:
Post a Comment