And the Mystery Runner Is...

...my friend Eddie!!

Eddie is a brilliant man who designs GPS systems for aircraft.

A few weeks ago, he told me that he wanted to start exercising, for better health, and he was thinking about running. Of course, I encouraged him to try it! I told him that there was a couch-to-5k program online, and it would be a very realistic goal to work up to running a 5K this fall. I said, if he wanted to, I would run with him for his first 5k.

We decided on the Kansas City Marathon 5k, which was this morning. This is the second week in a row I have run with someone named Ed.

Many times Eddie has astounded me by doing things that I didn't know he could do. I was one of his music teachers in high school, and then he took my piano class in college. He was one of those students who was better than I was, in some ways (technique), so I had to keep focusing on the things (musical maturity) where I still had him outranked. Nowadays, he outranks me in just about everything!

I told him to go to organist camp (the American Guild of Organists' "Pipe Organ Encounters"), and I even drove him to Minnesota for that, because I thought he should become an organist. Now he plays circles around me.

I didn't think he could sing scat, and then he did. I didn't think he could play Brahms with as much passion as intellect, and then he did. So I stopped selling him short, and now I just expect him to do the impossible. And he does.

That is what I like about running, and since I only became a runner very recently, I am still aware of that phenomenon. When you start running, there is a certain distance or duration that is impossible. Say, two blocks or so, or maybe 60 seconds of running. And then you run it. Then there is another impossible thing. And you do it. It is a succession of impossible things, and you keep doing them! Pretty heady stuff.

So I jumped at the chance to make Eddie a runner. All I had to do is tell him about the training program, and send him to the right store for shoes. He did the rest.

And now he's a runner!

Of course, I take credit for everything he knows and does. That's one of the secrets of great teaching. Have brilliant students.

I had to pick up my packet on Thursday, because I was out of town Friday. While I was down there by Union Station, I decided to pick up my tickets for a train trip I'm taking this spring.

Union Station is the best piece of architecture in Kansas City. It is not very well utilized, but at least they didn't make the mistake of tearing it down, like they almost did!

Inside the station, there happened to be a model train set up ~ I'm sure it is a temporary exhibit. I love miniatures, and when there are trains involved, it is even better!

I saw this cute little train station, and had to look closely at the town name printed on the sign. It said "Marathon."


This part of the display had a replica of the Western Auto building, a Kansas City landmark.



Miniatures are so adorable.


Oh yes, back to the 5k. It was such a blast! The weather was 40 degrees cooler than last week's run in Chicago!

I asked Eddie about his training, and he said the couch-t0-5k was really difficult for him, and he could not keep up with it, if you go by the book. But he did keep running, or run-walk-ing, which is very sensible, and which is what I do. His mile, he said, was about 13 minutes. He was hoping to do the 5k in 4o minutes. I said that sounded very reasonable.

I have run with people for their first 5ks before, and my approach is to try to discern what their goal is ~ whether they are concerned about time, or whether they just want to finish, and have it be pleasant. Then, if they are concerned about time, I try to strike a balance. I attempt to challenge them just enough so that they do not want to strangle me.

We agreed on run/walk intervals of 2:2. I figured this was maintainable. I counseled that it would be a good idea to start out slowly ~ most people go out too fast at first.

When we started out, he was running pretty fast! I thought "He's faster than he said he was!" I actually got out of breath more than he did in those first few segments. But I think the excitement of the race had an effect, because then the pace moderated a little. When it seemed like he was having difficulty at the end of the run segment, I said "let's take the next one a little easier." At one point I said "Just run to the mile marker, and then take a little extra walk break."

I was fairly sure, by the first mile, that we would make his goal, if we could keep the pace up.

The middle mile was, I think, the toughest mentally.

It is an amazing thing, this run/walk method. Doing 2:2, we were walking at least half the time! Yet, I am absolutely sure that Eddie would've had a slower time if he had run the entire thing. Most of the people aound us were running steadily the whole time, but when we ran, we passed people like crazy. The walk breaks give you recovery time, so you are able to run faster. Along with saving wear and tear on your joints, it helps you run at a faster pace.

When I run marathons, I usually do 4:1 or 3:1. When I got my PR, I was doing 9:1 (It just about killed me.) But when I tried 1:1 (that's walking half the time!), my total time was only 10 minutes slower than usual, and I was running strong all the way to the end.

Toward the end of the 5k, the motorcycle cops came up behind us, to clear a path for the leader of the half marathon, who was catching up with us. The half marathon had started a half hour earlier, so this really fast runner was about to overtake us. I think he was Kenyan. As I said in another post, I am often ahead of those guys.

The last half-mile was downhill, and I think Eddie got his second wind, perhaps inspired by the Kenyan runner. As we were approaching the finish line, we had been running for almost two minutes ~ the agreement was to run across the finish line, even if it was supposed to be a walk break. So I turned off my beeping watch, so that it would not beep. That would be de-motivating.

Almost to the finish line, I said, "Sprint, Eddie!" and the lady ahead of me suddenly started sprinting! Maybe her name was Eddie, too.

We sprinted, and finished in exactly the same time ~ 38:32. Woo-HOO! He said "I did not know if I could do this!" (I know the feeling. Also, I know the feeling of getting choked up and almost crying when I finish a running event. He had that, too.)

So it was a big thrill to do this. I felt like this week has been so eventful, and this was the icing on the cake.

As I drove back home, I deliberately planned my route to cross paths with the half marathoners, who were still running. There was a cop, directing traffic.



I ran the KC marathon two years ago. Last year, I was registered for the half marathon, but couldn't do it, because I accidentally signed up for the Sioux City marathon the same day. Oops. Now I've done the 5k, but I haven't done the half. Usually, if there is a half marathon around here, I run it. Maybe next year, I will run the KC half marathon.

The Kansas City Marathon is said to be one of the most beautiful urban courses, and I guess you could say that is true. I can recommend the 5k as well, although there was one thing that marred it ~ the bottleneck going through the finisher's area to get bananas and other goodies. They could have set that up a little better! I don't like standing in a crowd, but I wanted my banana. I earned that banana.