Race Day Updates

Temperature at 7:00 a.m.: 31 degrees. Very little wind, which helps. In three hours, we should be up to a do-able 38 degrees, though I'm sure it will be a bit of a battle with runners 2954 and 2955 over the best clothes to wear. And I'm sure they won't be the only two among the 4,000 or so who will have a hard time figuring out how to dress properly so that they're Goldilocks: not too cool or too hot.

Our plan is to get down to the festivities around 9:00 a.m. Before that, I'm going to go for a run. I know that probably sounds obnoxious, because I remember the very first five k I ran and how I watched the really good runners doing a lot of running to warm up and then running home afterwards. "I've only got five kilometers in me," I thought. "I can't waste them on warmups."

But I'm going to be running with my six-year-old and last year we finished sixth from the last. Our pace was rather pedestrian. I'd like to get a bit of a workout in tonight, hence the pre-run.

Last night before he went to bed, my six-year-old told me that he hopes he does better than he did last year. His comment surprised me because I didn't think he really paid attention to how he finished in comparison to the other runners. Maybe the memory of last year's sub-par performance will motivate him. We'll see.

9:00 a.m. We make our way downtown and park next to the Calvin. As we get out of the car, I spy two people clad in runner's garb looking a little lost. I tell them to head down Main Street and then make a left after Thorne's and hold my tongue as they cross King Street against the light. They're running in support of a good cause, after all.

9:15 a.m. We make our way to the parking lot by the brewery. My younger son says, "Dad, isn't this so much crazier than it was last year?" And I had to agree: there were tents, thousands of people, a guy dressed in an Elvis outfit, several people dressed as marshmallows, and a long, long line for the port-a-johns. But everyone was in a good mood and we still, despite the crowd, managed to find everyone we were supposed to find.

9:30 a.m. Okay, it's cold out. All of the body heat I generated during my pre-race run has disappeared. And the walk has been delayed for two minutes for some reason, which means the run will be delayed. And did I mention it's cold? I run into John Frey who's worked very hard to put this whole thing together and I must say that he's remarkably calm. Bill Dwight, Monte Belmonte, and Jaz Tupelo are getting the crowd worked up.

9:45 a.m. We're lined up to do a 32-minute 5k. I don't expect us to finish that quickly; last year, Owen and I finished around 44 minutes. But it's a place to start.

10:10 Finally, we're ready to start. The countdown has begun and the DJ is playing "Mister Big Stuff (Who Do You Think You Are?)" which strikes some people as an odd choice of song to play at an event that's raising money to fight domestic violence. The runners to do run-too-soon-and-then-have-to-slow-down-again thing, and then we're running.

During the race I wonder how we're doing time-wise, but I forget to start my stopwatch and I forgot to look at the clock time when we crossed the starting line. But I'm impressed with Owen. Last year we did a lot of walking; this year, not so much. Owen was worried about finishing close to the back, like he did last year, so he spends a lot of time looking over his shoulder. And there are plenty of people behind us. He runs a great race and finishes strong. We're sweating as we cross the finish line. We turn in our chips, get a mug, but we don't get any hot chocolate (the early reviews on the drink's quality are not that positive). And then we chat with fellow finishers until once again, our bodies are cold and it's time to head home.

On the way to the car, my older son, who's just run 3.1 miles and looks none the worse for wear, says, "Why did you have to park so far away?"

Everyone we see walking through town is in a good mood and after stopping for a bagel, we find ourselves in the middle of falling snow. And nice way to end a nice morning.

We'll definitely be back next year.