This morning, in Dallas, Texas, home of America's Team, I did my ninth footrace of the fall and my 156th overall. This event, which features both a 15K and a 5K, is called the Jog'r Egg Nog'r. (This year, for some reason, the organizer spelled out the words: Jogger Egg Nogger.) It starts atop a hill near White Rock Lake and finishes half a mile or so away. The course is not a closed loop; we finish at a lower elevation than where we start. Some participants dress as Santa Claus, elves, or reindeer. The occasion is festive. There is egg nog at the finish (hence the name). It was cool (about 40º) and sunny at the start. I probably overdressed by wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt over my running jersey.
I'm still feeling the effects of Sunday's half marathon. I wouldn't say that I felt weak, but I didn't feel strong, either. I had a bland feeling. A year ago, I did the 15K at a mile pace of 7:19.68, so this year I hoped to do at least as well. My personal record at the distance (9.321 miles) is 7:10, set in 2002. (Today's was my 12th 15K.) I secretly hoped that I would feel well enough to challenge it. I had a mile pace of 7:03 after three miles and 7:13 after six. Had I felt strong at that point, I would have made a run at the record; but the final few miles were into a stiff wind. That, together with my bland feeling, kept me from setting a personal record. I ended up with 7:16.39, which is almost as fast as the half marathon six days ago (7:13.88). I'm pleased with the result, all things considered.
Early on in the race, after the 5K runners split off, I saw a woman with two black cocker spaniels running ahead of her. They were leashed, obviously, and when I passed (yes, they were ahead of me for a while!), I noticed that the leash was connected to the woman's waist, so that her hands were free. I could not believe that these little dogs, who appeared stressed out, could run 9.3 miles, but they did. I saw the trio at the finish. What amazing little beasts they are! It does make me worry, however. How does the woman know that they want to run so far? Human beings have competitive instincts, but surely dogs don't. Maybe they were sore the entire way. Maybe they would rather have stayed home, in bed. Maybe they preferred 3.1 miles to 9.3.
Five awards are given for this event, at least in certain age groups. I got the second-place medal a year ago, but today I got third (of 11). The second-place finisher was only three seconds ahead of me. Now this is strange, because I don't recall seeing anyone close to my age at the finish. I caught two or three people in the final third of a mile (I always finish strong), and I assure you that if I had seen a man close to my age just three seconds ahead of me, I would have given him a run for his money. Maybe I was delirious and didn't notice him.
Only three men my age (52) or older beat me, out of 29. One (the aforementioned) beat me by three seconds; one beat me by 16 seconds; and one beat me by a staggering 5:08. The third man is 59 years old. What an amazing performance! He's running like a man 25 years younger. (He would have finished second in the men's 30-34 age group!) The overall winner, by the way, is 19. He completed the 15K in 48:04, which is a mile pace of 5:09.40. My finishing time was 1:07:47.65. Ah, to be a kid again. Maybe that's why I run, come to think of it: to stay as young as I can for as long as I can.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 