The Old Runner

It's North Carolina's oldest 8k road race, now in its 31st year. The Winter Flight 8k is also the state championship 8k road race of the Roadrunners Clubs of America (RRCA), the nation's oldest and largest running organization. In addition to that, it's also one of the nine races of the Running Journal Grand Prix, which I've competed in for the previous four years, but I'm skipping this year except for this single race since it's nearby and it's a race I always enjoy. Possibly my favorite thing about this event is that both before and after the race the runners are able to stay inside where it's warm. Registration, post-race food, and awards are all done in the Abernathy Physical Education Center on the campus of Catawba College. The race starts just outside the center and the race ends on the track on the other side of the street. Since in most other races the pre- and post-race activities are outside, being able to come inside to visit with fri...

There were two options for this race - a 5k and a 10k -- and as I have been known to do when I have the chance, I opted for the 5k, which has all the benefits of racing with only half the pain of running a 10k! Since a lot of the faster runners tend to take the longer option when there's a choice between 5k and 10k, the overall 5k times are usually at a slower pace, and that gives me a chance to finish higher overall in the race. Being an old age-grouper, anytime I can finish a race among the top overall runners it's fun, and it's even better when I can see exactly who's in front of me and know my overall position throughout the race. For instance, in the previous week's state championship cross-country race I was happy with my run but with so many of the state's best runners competing I finished in 75th place overall, so I was just kind of lost in the middle of the pack. By contrast, in this 5k, which started 15 minutes after the 10k runners left, I could see...