The Race May Be The Catalyst

Catalyst - "A person or thing that precipitates an event" More and more as I travel to run a race I find that the race is just the reason to go but once there, or even on the way there or back, there can be so much to see and do. Things to see and do that I might not have been aware of if the race didn't motivate me to research the area where I was going. This is as true for a race as close as the next town down or up the Valley as it is a trip for a race to another state requiring a long multi-day drive or a flight. There is so much to see and do in this country and racing has motivated me to do a lot of it.

As the title says, "The race may be the catalyst". There are so many other things than can be, visiting family, visiting friends, or simply a destination vacation where a race can be a part of the whole experience. In my case the race very often is the catalyst. A recent example of this just occurred this past weekend. I ran two races. On Saturday I raced and subsequently visited a local town for the first time and on Sunday I went to San Rafael to run a race and complete the "I Run the Bay" series. Because San Rafael is good distance from here and you never know what kind of traffic issues you might encounter I always leave early enough to allow a buffer. Sunday was an unusual day on the freeways for sure, there was no traffic and I had a quick and uneventful trip. I parked, picked up my shirt and race number and then had an extra hour to look around. I warmed up a lot more than I normally would simply because I wanted to jog around the downtown area as well as the outskirts of downtown. Additionally I was able to explore the course more than I might have otherwise and as a result I wasn't discouraged when I encountered hills that I had not anticipated. I have included some pictures from this exploration in this post.

The first two pictures are from the local race in Escalon.

 These next pictures are from San Rafael. It was a nice cool morning but humidity was over 90%.

While the race is often the catalyst for me I hope that you find your own catalyst to lead you on many journeys to enrich your life. Life really is an adventure and we can make sure that it is an adventure that keeps going. Enjoy your travels no matter what the catalyst.

After Double Dipsea

It has been over two weeks since I dropped out of the Double Dipsea race at the halfway point and I can still say that without a doubt it was the right decision. I wound up going to the doctor and he prescribed antibiotics and steroids for a respiratory infection. I have to believe that I'm luckier that I didn't get even sicker than I did. I took a week off completely from running and tried to recover and while I still have a lingering cough I'm much better. Will I consider doing the race again? That decision is still up in the air.

I overlooked writing about my first race in June. It was a race that I didn't intend to run but my Niece Brandy signed up for it before she knew that she was going to have shoulder surgery so she asked if I wanted her entry. The race organizers let us transfer the entry so I decided to run it. It was the Hook and Ladder 5k at the Wente' Winery in Livermore. It was a nice event. The only negative was the delayed start because of so many late arrivals. It is only a two lane road to get in and out of the area. I have said it before and I'm sure that I will say it again. I can't believe that people don't plan ahead and get to races early. I honestly resent it when they hold a race for late arrivals when it is their own fault. I still enjoyed the event.

This past weekend was the 4th of July and I went back to Atwater for their 4th of July race. It wasn't as hot as last year but it still got warm early. I was nervous about the race because I had been sick and had run very little leading up to it. I made a point of going out slower than usual knowing that I could finish if I did. After about half a mile I felt good enough to pick up my pace and actually finished 12 seconds faster than I ran last year. Last year I was 4th in my age group and this year, also 4th. The important thing is that I felt mostly recovered from the Double Dipsea and that's a good thing because I have two races coming up this weekend and then a half marathon later in the month in Eugene, Oregon.

Joe and Robert raced on the 4th as well; Joe in the Springs and Robert in Boulder. Gerald had planned to run in Washington State but they didn't have race day registration. He still hopes to do some races while he's working in Washington.

The bond that we all share through running is pretty amazing!

This next picture is so typical of my feelings immediately after some of my more challenging races. When I finish it's often, "I'm glad that's over" and "I won't be doing that again" followed by thinking about future races on the drive home and further followed by getting online to see what else is available on weeks that I'm not already scheduled to run somewhere. This sport sure gives me a lot to look forward to and a lot to enjoy and share with others.