Evendale Village 10k --- "Conquer the Hill"

This one is the traditional July 4 race for me, if I can make it there. It's a very nice little community event, which is exactly they type I prefer. The race is a benefit for the community's youth group.

The crowd at this race is mostly people who live in Evendale. They even have awards for the fastest local residents. The rest seem to be older, long-time, geezer-type runners like me.

They only give age group awards to the winners but that's about the only thing I don't like, hardware-hound that I am. There are door prizes, and bags of cold fruit sliced fruit at the finish.

The first mile of this race is uphill, and part of it is fairly steep. I used to be intimidated by this hill but not anymore. What I struggle with more on this course are the flat stretches on Reading Rd. and the second significant hill that comes in mile 4.

I do my slow warmup part way up the first hill and back down. I realize that today the race will just be about surviving and not doing anything stupid. I was thinking something like a 53 but the main thing was not to get heat stroke.

So we line up---and they even have little pace signs, just like at a much larger race---and somebody fires a cannon---but I'm ready for it after all these years and I don't even jump (or maybe I am just really going deaf). And we're off. And I'm jogging up the hill, feeling reasonably comfortable. Not going fast, but not getting passed, either.

Got through the first mile in 9:45. Very slow. And then came the downhill. And around this point, something very surprising happened. I passed Ed Hunter. Ed is one of the old, fast guys. He's always been fast, and I call him an "old guy" because he's older than me, and if you're older than me, then you are old. I can't believe I am passing Ed. What is he even doing back here anyway? I wonder if he is sick. I know I had seen him just back in April at another race and he was not this slow then.

Mile 2 is an 8:32, a little better. And then we are on Reading Rd., and it's hot and there's no shade and it's just miserable. Ed passes me and restores the natural order of the universe. Mile 3 is 9:01.

And then here comes the mile 4 hill that always gets me. I have a rough go of it. I stop and walk a bit. I don't care anymore about my time, I just want to survive and finish the race outside of an ambulance. I pass by Ed's wife, Marilyn, who is doing the walk (4 mile course, skips the first hill).

Mile 4 is a 10:33. All that walking. There's a nice, long downhill in mile 5 and then we're back on Reading Rd. Mile 5 is 9:24.

I see Ed just ahead of me. I don't want to pass him but I do. I can't believe I am passing him. It makes me sad. Ed is getting old. I am getting old. Mile 6 is 9:43.

We make the turn back into the parking lot of the recreation center. There is a young woman just ahead of me. We head toward the finish line and I kick past her. Last .2 is 1:51. Official time is 58:50, more than 5 minutes slower than I expected but it was rough out there.

They hand out place cards as you cross the finish line. You put your card in a little plastic bin corresponding to your age group. Very old school and I love it.

I drink some cold water and munch on the fruit. I grab a bag of ice and rub it on my neck and shoulders, before finally tucking it under my hat. I chat with Marilyn, whom I haven't seen in awhile. She says that Ed has been having back problems and he had a bunch of cortisone shots. Well that explains it.

I hang around for the awards with Ed & Marilyn. Maybe I'll get a door prize. Doesn't happen. Later I check the results. I was 2nd in the age group. First place was a 53:29, right about the time I had expected to run. I've got a lot of work to do before that marathon in November.