Freedom 5K

After a one-year hiatus to get a taste of the Run Wild 5K, I returned to starting my Independence Day in Sugar Land with the run at Lost Creek Park. During my sunrise drive to the race, I was listening to a radio broadcast of "Appalachian Spring" by all-American composer Aaron Copland and thinking that any sub-35 time would be just fine in the extreme humidity. I have no complaint with my result:

Mile 1 -- 9:50
Mile 2 -- 10:53
Mile 3 -- 11:10
5K elapsed time -- 33:04
(per Garmin Forerunner 205)

After crossing the finish line, I went back on the course to join the cheer squad until the lovely Laurie came in, and then we sought a shady spot to view the awards presentation. It was great to see Fort Bend resident and septuagenarian record-holder Ino Cantu appear to claim a win in his age-group. A couple of years ago, I had looked up his Athlinks profile and noticed a long gap of several months since his last race result, and my mind had jumped to the worst conclusions.

We dodged the hardest punches of Hurricane Alex, but his outer rain bands had been giving us wet, sloppy kisses for days. The wet weather had prompted race organizers to alter the course; instead of finishing on the Oyster Creek trail, the final mile was a U-turn on Lexington Boulevard back to the main park entrance. To their credit, at least they didn't settle for the half-mile hatchet job they took to the course in 2007.

Happy Fourth of July to all from my tiny corner of the blogosphere! Thankfully the skies cleared up before the race and I hope they'll stay clear for area fireworks celebrations tonight. Last night, right before bed, I listened to NPR's reading of the Declaration penned by Thomas Jefferson. Even in 2010, it stands out to me as a message of humility delivered in powerful language.