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"