New Year’s Eve "Run Through Time"
by Susan Jones
Three weeks in advance of the race, I mailed in my entry form and money. On December 31, I was running a little late and was worried I might miss the 6pm starting gun. I dashed into the building to check in only to discover my name was not on the start list! The person checking me in gave me the benefit of the doubt and wrote my name on the list. Then she handed me a small box instead of the usual glowing wrist band. Now I knew why so many race participants were equipped with headlights. Each registrant was given a really neat - although not expensive - headlamp to wear in the race. What a great idea!
I zipped out to the car as I had forgotten something and was then trying to get the headlamp to work. No luck. I just chucked it in the car and headed to the start line. It was almost “go” time. There seemed to be more participants this year and everyone seemed keen to get running. Rob Reid gave the countdown and off we went.
Based on the last two months of haphazard running and no real training, I was not expecting too much of myself. Just get it done, have a snack at the end, and go home. But the conditions were ideal for running. Although the temperature was cold, there was very little breeze and I just sailed along without any effort. And, in no time at all, the race was done. My time was very respectable for me (32:34). Then it was back inside for a snack. Another surprise was the beautiful trays of food - a little fancier than the usual muffins and cookies. There were platters of wraps and sandwiches, veggie and dips, mini stuffed potatoes, cucumber topped with some purple stuff and little cheeses skewered to cherry tomatoes. Very nice indeed. I grabbed a plateful and headed for home.
Another fun run under my belt. After arriving home, I looked at the headlamp more closely and found I had to remove a small plastic piece first. Then the headlamp worked like a charm. I am looking forward to next year’s race and a chance to wear my headlamp!
