Hitting the start line dressed in a T-shirt soaked through never bodes well. Despite a comfortable temperature, the humidity was unavoidable, falling into that range where rain is just a few tantalizing clicks away.
The milestone 50th race passed last weekend in Columbus during the Komen Race for the Cure. I hadn't bothered to count, and if my memory failed to recall a race or three, the milestone could have come months ago. But I'll stick Columbus RFTC as the 50th.
Now back to the 51st. A quartet of Nashville landmarks just outside Downtown filled out the compact course. A full lap around Greer Stadium, the AAA dump where the Nashville Sounds play, up the Fort Negley hill, past the Adventure Science Center and a mile of loops through the Nashville City Cemetery.
It was a humid, cramp-filled excursion and by the fifth or sixth turn in the cemetery, those cold graves looked awfully comfortable. The local running group, the Nashville Striders, hosted this race, which showed in its difficulty level. Such a small footprint, with a large hill around the old Confederate fort and steady inclines through the cemetery did not help the casual runner. But as always, I finished and since the finish line was a good mile from the starting point, I tacked on another mile of running back to the Corolla.
How I went from 13.1 miles a month ago to barely grunting across a finish line at 3.1 ... I don't know. But the 10 miles waiting four weeks down the road will not be any kinder.
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