Reflections on the meaning of Last ...
I came in last in my age division this year. This is a new thing for me in a road race. I have never been fast, and after my ankle fracture in 93 and double hernia surgery in 05 I have long since accepted the ongoing change in my finish times. For years I have joked that as I get older I would move up in my division because everyone aging would slow down to my speed.
Don't get me wrong, I am not singing a sad song here. I finished my 13th consecutive Seattle Marathon without walking or stopping. I am healthy and recovered quickly ... I just ran an entirely new level of slow this year. It will be interesting to see how that changes in coming years, because I am going to be entering the lottery for New York and/or Boston, as well as doing a multiple marathon year and a qualifying sequence to get my Marathon Maniacs bib here over the next couple years.
Also, I made a conscious choice about mile 15 to not speed up and push for a better time. I simply knew enough about how I was feeling - and since it was sunny and not raining - and did not push forward. The final finish being quite as slow as it was was a bit of a surprise, but when the Army Ranger put my finisher medal about my neck and I was feeling fairly solid I knew I made the right choices ...
