The running of the fish (a personal recap of the 2013 Fishy Four)

A pose before the race

Last Saturday nearly a 1,000 runners and walkers showed up to do “the Fishy Four”, a Chetek tradition now for twenty-five years. For me, it was one of my better “4s”, at least, in recent years. I crossed the line at 34:45, nearly two minutes faster than last year's “4” and just shy of three minutes faster than my 2011 showing. But I won't crow about progress – in 2010, I ran a faster “4” than Saturday's – but you enjoy the moment you're in and try not to fret about earlier times when you were faster (but not too sleeker).

If I have any beef with this race it's that the directors do not do more to encourage walkers to head to the back at the starting line. Once again, at the retort of the gun a gaggle of walkers were in front of runners - well, in front of me - which just added to the brief traffic jam that is par for the course for the first 100 yards of this race. But after that, it's a matter of weaving in and out of traffic until you pass Camp Chetek and start the loop around the island. I knew after Ed, Christine, and a few others and I circled up for a prayer before the race I wouldn't see Ed until race's end. And just as I expected, he ran a strong “4” - his strongest yet – finishing in personal record time of 23:06 and 4^th overall. His two main goals were to PR (he did) and best former teammate and current C-W running phenom Brandon Books (ditto). So, he, too, had a good “4”.

Before...

 

and still smiling after...

My daughter, Christine, had a good “4” as well. Since high school days, the only race Christine really trains for is the Fishy Four and every year she searches for someone to run it with. This year she and one of her best buds, Amy, entered together (but trained separately). They ran together most of the way and enjoyed the camaraderie of working toward a common goal (mainly., to finish). The smile as she crossed the line said it all. Which in a nutshell is what this race is really all about. A truly “fun” run that brings runners and non-runners alike together for a good cause and a shared community experience.

Christine with her little brother afterward

I felt strong out there even though it was fairly warmish and my breathing was a bit labored during the last mile. I finished ahead of some runners this year that usually have my number – specifically Joan Koslofsky and Joan Turner – and I bested a few of the kids who presently run for me. That being said, Coach Tim Borstad from nearby Cameron High School walloped my tail with an impressive 31:30 finish. So, at the end of the day I guess I broke even.

But that's not really true. I had a good race and I enjoyed seeing a bunch of people I care about who share my love of the race – a few of my kids, a few of the kids who used to run for me and some of them who currently do as well as others who I have connected with over the years. Guys like 70-something Ray Coyer who has bested me at a Grandma's Marathon a time or two. I hope I'm still motoring forward when I get to be his age. Or how 'bout Mrs. J who in the 60-64 age category finished first in her age group on one artificial knee? (I really hope her doctor isn't blog savvy). It's people like them that this blog is all about. Not the champions as our society is prone to measure them but the brave and cheerful “also rans” who have fun (more or less) as they put one foot down in front of the other in a forward direction. 

The spoils of war

 

Another July 4, another Fishy Four

Cue Chariots of Fire music here

This weekend is the Fishy Four, the annual 4-mile race ran on the Saturday closest to July 4 that for many years running has brought out several hundred area runners. If you are a runner in Chetek or, like myself, the coach of the C-WHS Cross Country team, it's a given that you will run. And with the exception of 2007 and 2009 when I had to sit out due to injury, since 1999 I've run every one. To date, my fastest one was 2001, the year I ran my first marathon, when I finished in 31:02 (7:45 pace). My slowest one was in 2011 when I ran it in 37:42 (9:25 pace). I was 39 in 2001. I am now 51 and so you would expect a little downturn in times if only because the law of aging. If I go just on how I've been running lately in my training runs I'm not expecting a PR-kinda day this Saturday. I will most definitely be one of the “also-rans”. I'll run it, be cheered by my son and Coach Knicker, the “godfather” of local runners, when I cross the line, get the t-shirt and my complimentary water and then head for home.

Ed running for UW-S

My son, on the other hand, is a different story. While he may not be favored to win it, he should be in the Top Ten and stands a good chance as any of winning his age category. Last year was his best “4” yet and given that he has a year of collegiate running under his belt I don't anticipate any downturn for him. Ed's a local fan favorite. Everyone knows Ed and he endears himself to a lot of other people both runners and non-runners alike. He finished 8^th overall last year in a time of 23:42 (5:55 pace). So he'll have to wait a good 12-15 minutes before his old man finally appears on that homeward stretch that begins at Airport Park. I know it doesn't bother him in the least. And truthfully, it really doesn't bother me, either, other than I wish I was a faster runner.

I have no idea...but I often feel this way

One look at me and you know I wasn't built for speed. I was built for the long run. Granted it would do me good to lose that 20 pounds I lost last year but which slowly but surely found their way back. But even if I could achieve that I don't think it would land me in the winner's bracket of my age division. I don't have the mentality of a racer. I have the mentality of a plodder. Racers are competitive by nature. They don't just want to win. They want to cream the opposition. But plodders are the people who carry on, who are out there for the “fun of it” all, who are the type to shout encouragement to their fellow runners even while they're trying to make it to the same goal. And while I could try and work on my mental game and visualize crossing the line ahead of whoever is the competition in my age bracket, truthfully it's just not in me. My only enemy is my waistline and the clock, both which continue to prove themselves intractable.

It's supposed to be partly cloudy and a bit more humid Saturday morning than it was this morning when I was running. Today was beautiful. I won't say I felt like I could run forever but I did actually enjoy myself while on the run. I'm hoping for that kinda vibe on Saturday morning. It's all for a good cause anyway – it helps send local Chetek kids to college and tech school – and when it's over I'll have a brand new shirt. So with that I'll close by chanting one of my favorite running mantras, “Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more...” (King Henry V, Act 3, Scene 1)

Posing at the end of last year's "4"