RUN FOR THE PINEAPPLE

Monday, I participated in the "Run for the Pineapple" along with my daughter, her husband and youngest son. It is a 5K race run in Sewall's Point, Florida. They've done it there for 18 straight years. I have no idea why.

We got up before 6 in the morning . . . in Florida you have to run very early or run very late. This race started at 7:30 am but that wasn't early enough. By that time, the south Florida atmosphere was at its muggy best.

Several hundred crazies were there when we arrived at about 6:45. They were signing in, pinning on their bibs with number, attaching the velcroed timing chip to their ankle, and running around like people who had some where to go.

A man with a bullhorn counted down to the start. We ran and jogged and walked through a beautiful neighborhood. I had positioned myself strategically next to some fat women who I thought couldn't make it three miles or at least would make me look good. Off we went for no good reason that I could think of at the moment.

As the race went on, I went from one side of the street to the other trying to follow the shade. Some sadistic fool had sucked all the air off the the roads just before I got to them yet, on I trudged. I kept thinking that I had missed seeing the one mile marker . . . I was so sure I had missed it. And then, there it was and the stark reality that I was less than one-third of the way around hit me like the forty pounds of extra weight I had strapped around my waist.

A water station was located just beyond the one mile marker. I wanted to look back at this point to see if there was anyone behind me but I couldn't. I was too taken up with trying to look like a real runner to the folks giving up there time to give us water. Its the coolest part of a race.

As I was looking for the two mile marker, I looked at my watch to check my time. It was about 20 minutes into the race, not bad for me but then I realized my grandson, Ben, had probably finished already. . . he had - he's quite the runner.

There was another water station just past the two mile marker. I love those things. On my way to the finish line, Ben came back a meet me and we jogged in together. Pretty neat stuff. All in all, I got a tee-shirt, a medal that said finisher, two sore knees and the satisfaction that I may actually have a chance to get back in shape. Not bad!
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