Plenty of Running (None by Me)
I sometimes forget what it’s like to belong to a running community. Not just any community either. I was part of the San Diego Track Club and for years the club—from weekly runs and Tuesday track workouts to volunteering and board membership—comprised a significant portion of my weeks and, quite frankly, life.
I’d belonged to two other running clubs before joining this one. The first was the Tidewater Striders, where other than “running into” some people from high school, I remained a lone wolf. Then we moved to Cape Cod and I joined the Falmouth Track Club, where I made some friends and enjoyed some excellent New England runs. But, again, I kept some distance due to my long weekday commutes into downtown Boston.
I didn’t immediately warm to the San Diego Track Club either, but over time I grew to really enjoy everyone and felt like a part of a family. I looked forward to seeing familiar faces and developed deep friendships. I stayed in shape, too. Today, I got to feel a little of that love again.
I was invited to join the group for the 11th annual Christmas Card Lane Run. This is a run/race I founded in 2007. In the early years, we ran to and from my home, where we celebrated with brunch. The program’s size grew; my house did not. So the event moved to a big park on the edge of my suburb. Location was great but parking wasn’t. So two years later, we relocated again to a much more convenient spot next to a giant skate park.
The course is still the same, and my suggestion to make it a predictive time contest remains today, as well as a costume contest and a lot of fresh faces on the roads. Two friends and I walked much of it while everyone else ran and then I hung around afterward to hug and chat and beam at people I hadn’t seen in years.
I was still feeling a weird running high (despite not running) when I left and drove down to Morley Field in Balboa Park for the 40th Foot Locker National Cross-Country Championships to watch family member Noah Hibbard run. Only 40 high schoolers from across the country made it to this starting line, and in the end Noah finished 26th with a 5k time of 16:04. He was disappointed, which I can understand. When you are used to always finishing first or second or maybe fourth, being that far back in the pack can be difficult to emotionally manage.
Noah’s mom and my sister Kim were once partners, and I hadn’t seen Holly since Noah was a preschooler. So, again, I reunited in a running setting with people from my past. And, again, it rekindled an inner warmth I hadn’t felt in some time. Until now, I didn’t realize how much I missed running long distances, not just for the personal benefits but for the chance to belong again.
