Admiral Swansea Bay 10K 2011 – Added to the List!

I’ve been a runner for about twelve years. That said, I’m well aware I use the term “runner” more liberally than the harder core among us; I don’t run fast (my pace has been consistently between 11- and 12-minute miles for a decade), I have no desire to “get faster”, and I don’t run many races (though I do have a list).

And this year I added to that list with the Admiral Swansea Bay 10K, here in Swansea Wales.

But before we get there, let’s take a walk down memory lane – to the very first race I ever ran:

Ypsilanti, Michigan (circa 1988). From lower left, moving clockwise: my brother (Danny), my dad (Dave), me!, two friends of my dad, and our dear childhood friend (Teddy) – who, by the way, is now a phenomenal artist, web designer and runs his own graphic design company.

My first actual memory of running is with my dad, also a runner – and very patient with his daughter, who – at all of her nine or ten years old – made it a quarter mile down the road from our house in Sumpter, Michigan before needing to walk and wanting to turn around.

Btw – thanks, Dad – for turning around with me and taking me home.

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Since then, my other races (see? I do have a list!) include:

• Race for the Cure at the Detroit Zoo, 1999
• Ann Arbor 4th of July 5K, 1999
• Honolulu Marathon, 1999 – yes, I ran a marathon, but very slowly
• Race for the Cure at Comerica Park, Detroit, 2000

As you can see, I’ve not run in an “official” race for 11 years – so forever more, my re-entry to the “racing world” belongs to Swansea.

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Admiral Swansea Bay 10K 2011:

My 2011 race number included 7s, which thrilled me to no end:

And when you register for a race in Wales, you not only get your welcome email in English:

But also in Welsh!

These are people who ran faster than me:

And had way cooler hair than me:

And women runners who ROCKED:

We also had a visit by the Subway mascot:

And an Oompa Loompa (who, too, ran faster than me):

But eventually, I showed up!

Got my picture taken by the official photographers (sorry, I won’t pay £10 for a digital copy though):

And threw Matthew a kiss:

Before crossing the finish line:

Afterward, we wondered about these guys:

And why a race event needs a supply of chips:

But neither contemplation stopped me from stretching:

And greeting Sylvain – who not only dropped me off, but went BACK to pick up Matthew, and then came BACK to take us both home again:

She was awfully proud:

And made me a congratulations sign – posted to our front door:

Complete with my hair and teeth done in gold marker:

To prove it all really happened, here are my “official” results:

And spoils of the race:

Including the very cool “finishers medal”:

And the shoes that covered 48 training miles in the weeks before the race:

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Why do I do it?

A few people asked me this while I was training – and because I take any opportunity I can to wax poetic about running, I thought my reasons should also be commemorated here.

For me, running is a wickedly good source of zen-like meditation – especially on those days when the sun is warm, the sky is a blue so deep it’s purple, the music rocks and you feel like you could run forever.

It’s on days like these that I think of one of the best running quotes I’ve ever read:

Running offers us renewal each time we head out the door. It strips us down to our centers. It is sun, sweat, rain, breeze against our skin. It is blood pumping through our arteries, air filling our lungs, and the rhythmic, fluid contracting of muscle as we move our bodies over the earth.

Through it, we become whole again.

From: The Complete Book of Running for Women (1999)

Because when it comes down to it – all races aside – if ever want to feel alive (in the deepest, most affirming of ways), all I need to do is throw on my shoes and head out the door.

And that’s why I run.