I went to (a) run and a race broke out

Golden Flyers 5 and 10 Mile Runners

It's been an interesting and slightly different week on the streets, what with Thanksgiving Day and all. Usually the timelapserunner heads to the LSU Lakes area to get in his training but this week found him running the Tuesday and Thursday workouts in the neighborhood rather than near campus. We learned after our 17 mile run some weeks back that the timelapserunner's body and spirit flag during the week after the long run. So, he was on alert for this effect this past week following the 20-miler. Not to be disappointed, Messrs. Mental and Physical Fatigue showed up, right on schedule.


Tuesday morning came and there was not enough energy to get in the car and head out, so we ran around the neighborhood. Thursday came and with it - Thanksgiving morning. Again, the brain said, "You don't feel like getting up and running today." However, after the extended family finished our Bird Day repast, the timelapserunner - perhaps not wanting to have to run back-to-back days on Friday and Saturday - talked himself into dressing up and getting in that day's 4-miler, albeit at 5PM. Still, the mental energy for checking the temperature and setting the GymBoss was not there, so we just took off deciding to run the whole four miles, even if a bit slower. All went OK.

A Co-Worker, Racing Hard

Finally, it was Saturday and our spirit was coming around a bit. Feeling a bit chipper. More interested in running, getting out there. So, we took off for the LSU Lakes area. I was running just a smidgen late and could see that the beach parking area was a bit crowded but I still managed to find a parking space. I stepped out of the car, set my Garmin to start looking for the satellites when all of a sudden - a race came by!

We'd completely forgotten that today was the annual Golden Flyers 5 and 10 mile runs in the LSU Lakes area. A few of us non-Golden-Flyer runners stood there for a moment or two, trying to decide just which direction to start running in - with the runners or against the flow. We opted for against the flow. So, after nearly all the runners passed by, we took off in the other direction. Of course, yours truly didn't actually run with those other runners - they would be marching to a faster beat than he would.

Two Ladies with Class

By the time that the timelapserunner got around to Sorority Row,  the 2nd wave of runners were taking off (see first inset photo at the top of this post). All these runners served to pump up my spirit and get me in the mood again. In some ways I wished I were running with them, but I am a willing slave to my regimen. I will not allow myself to run races when they are not part of my training program. That's a strong point and a weak point, I believe. But it is what it is.

To make the day more interesting, I saw one of my co-workers running in the race - doing quite well, actually (see 2nd inset photo above). Got a pic of him as he went by - and a smile as well. Somewhere a little farther down the course, I was greeted by one of my former students who yelled hello out to me (no photo, alas). Neat experience. Lastly, there were a few holiday spirit runners out there too (see last inset photo). What a great day for a run! Never mind the timing, or the distance (6 miles), or anything else. We were back to enjoying the run and all that we see and meet along the way.