Yesterday was my first road running race of the year, the World Down Syndrome Day 5k, hosted by the Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association. It was run in downtown Dayton, which is a place I love to run, and on an interesting course that took us back and forth across the river a few times. Running downtown always makes me feel like I’m in a Nike commercial, especially early in the morning on a weekend, when it’s deserted and quiet.
The race itself was unusually challenging, for such a relatively short distance. I’ve been having some trouble with my left knee, and it was already angry with me when I was warming up before the race. A quarter mile in, I was in agony, and by a half mile, as the course angled back toward the start-finish area, I had pretty much decided I was going to quit. But standing there, at the turn, was my awesome little fan club, consisting of my wonderful wife and my dog, Max.
I couldn’t very well quit in front of them, so I limped on for a bit. The pain became overwhelming, so I slowed to a walk for a few hundred yards. I started thinking about last weekend, and about my little sister (who has Down Syndrome), and about all the pain she’s endured in her short life, and I got a little mad. Not at anything in particular, but just at the whole situation. I picked up to a jog again, and even though it hurt, it was less than before.
By the halfway point of the race, my knee had gone numb, and I was able to put it aside and just concentrate on my breathing and my pace. Turns out my pace was pretty decent, all things considered, and I finished with a chip time of 27:31, 19th of 87 overall and 2nd in my age group. So, despite some problems, I get to start the season with a medal, and I have high hopes for where this season can go, from here!