The Runner at the Winter Beach Run
by Eric Norris

  It was a gray and windy day for the 29th Winter Beach Run. The Runner looks around at the crowd. Who is running the 5 and who is running the 10? All he can do is remember to run his own race. His only enemy is The Clock. The race director makes some final reminders that few people hear. The next sound is the cannon going off. The runners take off like water through a breach in a dam, fighting to find a pace that was comfortable or a place out of the wind. 

  The Runner lumbers off. He knows he has been training hard and running good but the nervousness is still there. Is he going too fast? Can he maintain the pace? Will he hurt himself? The wind is blowing in his face and ears, blocking out most noise. The butterflies fade and the race mind-set begins to take over. He just runs at the pace that his body is dictating. 

  He hits the first turn and heads south with the wind. Everything quiets down now with the wind at his back. The only sounds are the footfalls of a few other runners, the surf on the sand and his breathing. He looks over and sees some guys riding surfboards while hanging onto what look like hang glider parachutes. He thinks they must be crazy to be out in the cold ocean water. Maybe the surfers are thinking the same thing of the runners. He runs on. He sees the crowds at the 5-mile finish. For a fleeting second he thinks of breaking off and just doing 5, but realizes he wants the 10-mile run, he wants to see if he can set a distance PR. He sees the Mile 5 split, does the math and realizes he is on track. 

  He is running strong; his body feels good, his breathing steady and unlabored. Slowly the groups are coming to him. Are they slowing down, is he speeding up? He grabs some water from volunteers who look cold, but still offer words of encouragement to all they see as they race back and forth trying to get water for all who need or want it. The Runner continues south looking for the turnaround and the final leg. He wonders what other runners are thinking as they run the race. Do they have an injury they are recovering from? Do they have a PR they are trying to set? Do they get frustrated as he does when other runners whom they thought they could beat pass them?

  He catches a group at the final turn. As he heads north, he ducks his head into the wind to make sure his hat stays on and reminds himself to work hard at maintaining his pace. The wind begins to blow through his ears again and all he can hear is the whoosh of the wind. He looks up at the next group and tries to work up to them. The wind is pushing hard, but he fights through. He imagines he is working back on the final leg of one of his training runs. Only 20 minutes of running to go. Slowly, he closes the gap. As he passes the pack he wonders if he should hang with them to let his body rest. He tries to maintain their pace but it feels slow.

  The Runner moves on, through Mile 8. He sees his time and realizes he is almost dead on pace. If he can hold his pace he will hit his goal. Another runner drops in and begins to draft off him. Soon a second runner joins them. They pass through Mile 9 working against the wind. He is still feeling strong, trying to do the math to check his pace. He realizes he has a chance. He tries to pick up the pace. It feels as if he his increasing his speed; is he?

 Only a half-mile to go, the third runner of the small peloton makes his surge. The Runner begins to make his. He closes the gap on this new runner and another one farther ahead. The gap grows smaller and smaller, the finish line getting closer and closer. He picks it up more, giving whatever he has left. He surges past the two runners and through the chute.

 He is done. He feels he ran a solid race. As he exits the chute he looks back at the clock over the finish line and sees it says 1:16:04, he realizes he has set a course PR. He moves back to the shelter of the deck. He says hello to his running mates. Beers 1and 2 go down quickly. They discuss the race, the conditions, the times. Finally the results are posted. He looks for his name, finds it, and looks at his time. Yes, he has done it; he has set a course PR by six minutes and a distance PR by almost 90 seconds. A smile breaks out on his face as he thinks about how well he has done.

          All the miles and all the work are starting to pay off. 

          The time for reflection and relaxation is short. 

          Tomorrow is another day to train. 

          Only 7 weeks to his ultimate goal.

 JTC member Eric Norris is training for the JTC Guana River 50 km Ultra Trail Run on March 28.