The Runner
I had the opportunity to ride with a good friend on Friday to go to Fargo and experience the electric energy of The Fargo Marathon.
Although the full marathon wasn't until Saturday, I got to experience the expo and 5K. It was A. Maz.Ing!!!!
The energy in the Fargodome was positively humming. There were people everywhere. Short people, tall people, heavy people, barely there people, old people, young people and really young people, people in costumes, lycra, sweat pants, shorts, t-shirts, sports bras, and every other imaginable article of clothing associated with running.
My friend had experienced this all before so knew what to expect. I, on the other hand, had not. Everywhere I turned, there was something to see. I looked like an owl, craning my neck in all directions so I could see everything. The expo had all things related to running; health supplements, advertisements on upcoming runs and challenges, sports medicine information, clothing, running accessories, fundraisers, etc.
When it was time to head outside to watch them line up for the 5K, I was in awe. There were 8,500 people with their bibs on, standing patiently at the line waiting for the start. The line ran several blocks back and I swear it took at least 5-7 minutes for ALL of the runners to get across the starting line. And that was just the runners! There was a separate starting line for the walkers too. They couldn't start until the runners had all crossed the starting line.
We stood right at the corner where they turned to come back in to the finish line. To see the look in their eyes - the focus - on the finish took my breath away. I turned to my friend and said, "Wow."
There was this little girl...couldn't have been much more than 10..running her heart out right alongside a man in his 20's as they headed to the finish line. They were in the top 10 finishers. And what got me was all the different running strides...long, short, shuffles, glides. Some ran with music but most didn't. That interested me because I run with music and can't imagine NOT running without it.
I'm on the injured reserve list because of my knee/leg. I haven't run since September. I recently made the comment that I want to run again if only to go for a leisurely run whenever I want to. But I have to admit, my running mojo has been waning.
Not after Friday. I got caught up in it. How could I not?
I haven't run in 8 months....but I am still a runner.
What is a runner? "Someone who puts one foot in front of the other at a pace that is faster than a walk."
What is a racer? Crazy.
Call me crazy.
Although the full marathon wasn't until Saturday, I got to experience the expo and 5K. It was A. Maz.Ing!!!!
The energy in the Fargodome was positively humming. There were people everywhere. Short people, tall people, heavy people, barely there people, old people, young people and really young people, people in costumes, lycra, sweat pants, shorts, t-shirts, sports bras, and every other imaginable article of clothing associated with running.
My friend had experienced this all before so knew what to expect. I, on the other hand, had not. Everywhere I turned, there was something to see. I looked like an owl, craning my neck in all directions so I could see everything. The expo had all things related to running; health supplements, advertisements on upcoming runs and challenges, sports medicine information, clothing, running accessories, fundraisers, etc.
When it was time to head outside to watch them line up for the 5K, I was in awe. There were 8,500 people with their bibs on, standing patiently at the line waiting for the start. The line ran several blocks back and I swear it took at least 5-7 minutes for ALL of the runners to get across the starting line. And that was just the runners! There was a separate starting line for the walkers too. They couldn't start until the runners had all crossed the starting line.
We stood right at the corner where they turned to come back in to the finish line. To see the look in their eyes - the focus - on the finish took my breath away. I turned to my friend and said, "Wow."
There was this little girl...couldn't have been much more than 10..running her heart out right alongside a man in his 20's as they headed to the finish line. They were in the top 10 finishers. And what got me was all the different running strides...long, short, shuffles, glides. Some ran with music but most didn't. That interested me because I run with music and can't imagine NOT running without it.
I'm on the injured reserve list because of my knee/leg. I haven't run since September. I recently made the comment that I want to run again if only to go for a leisurely run whenever I want to. But I have to admit, my running mojo has been waning.
Not after Friday. I got caught up in it. How could I not?
I haven't run in 8 months....but I am still a runner.
What is a runner? "Someone who puts one foot in front of the other at a pace that is faster than a walk."
What is a racer? Crazy.
Call me crazy.
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