What Almost was the Nicest Race Ever

(I think it is only fitting that the weekend before Halloween, the shining star in Philly sports would be Temple football. Go Owls!!!)

Dave, Ted, and I ran (another) 5K this past weekend. It was another local race, with the fun Halloween theme. I almost dressed up, but the pouring rain and wind gusts kind of deterred that option (that, and I couldn't find the bunny ears from a past costume, and figured the cotton tail alone just wouldn't be that cute without the ears helping to explain what I was...lest everyone mistaken me for a Q-tip or something).

It was the first time we ran this particular 5K, so I don't know what average turn-out was normally, but I'm guessing the 35 people who donned the starting line was on the low end, considering the amount of T-shirts left over. I was familiar with the course, since half of it had been my training runs for Broad Street last spring. That made a huge difference, and it was a fun 5K...the rain stopped minutes before the start, and only a few streams covered the roads.

I knew with the weather I wasn't going for any PRs. So I had my safe goal time in mind. As I neared the finish, Dave and Ted were yelling the time--I was 20 seconds under. So I pick it up and race the clock and head into the shoot.

(NOTE: The following events take place in a matter of seconds)

There was orange tape marking the shoot, and straight ahead I saw orange tape across the shoot, with a camera man right behind and to the side of it. What a nice race! I immediately thought. They are thoughtful enough to put finisher tape up for everyone who crosses...what a great way to make each finisher feel special...this is the nicest race ever...

I near the tape, the camera man pulls his camera up to his face and begins to focus. It occurs to me that I have never ran through finishers tape, and I wonder if there is any special way to run through it--do I put my arms in the air? Do I risk embarrassment of not breaking the tape if I don't lean a certain way? I figure to throw caution to the wind, and just run through it.

I am ready to break the tape when I notice about five guys on the other side of the tape. My first thought is that they are the folks who tear my bib number. Then I notice the weird dance they are doing, and they all seem to be pointing in the same direction...to the left of where I am finishing. I look--the finish line is that way. And there is no finishers tape. I am no more special than any other runner. And I probably took a second or two off my time by contemplating how I was going to break the nonexistent finisher tape.

Sunday was an uneventful 10-miler, which in itself is an event. It helped boost the confidence I needed to go ahead and hit the "submit" button on the online registration for the Philly Half...and the best thing is I think I beat my Broad Street time on yesterday's run, which is great considering it was the first time I ran 10 miles since the May 7th race.

A good point to the race Saturday was that I did come in first in my age group, but I guess it's important to point out that there was one other female in my age group and she got first overall...the race could have been upgraded again to the nicest race ever if they had let me take the 2nd and 3rd prizes, too, but apparently, 1st was sufficient.

I am on the look-out for a highly-recommended Thanksgiving Day 5K...Ted and I did one in Abington last year, and may do it again, but only because Ted wants to subject Dave to the hills this one had, to show him not all 5Ks are flat and easy for him to place in. But I'm open to suggestions...not sure how the half is going to go on the 19th, and the easier the 5K on Thanksgiving, the better it probably would be.