20 years ago, I ran the Virginia 10 Miler. I spent that summer training hard for the race and finishing just under 1:23. It was THE race that got me hooked on long distances and kept me in love with running for a long time.
Fast forward 20 years – and sparing the details of the long path of the highest of highs and lowest of lows – I was back at this event again. It was, oddly, the fourth time doing this race. After my first 10 miler in 2006, I really don’t remember too much about those other two events. But this one? I feel like a new core memory was established.
- I reunited with a couple of training friends from 20 years ago, both of whom I went to college with
- My sister ran in the event for the first time ever
- My wife did the 4+ mile race
- The weather was perfect
I finished with a major lack of running for the past couple of months. It’s humbling to finish almost 30 minutes slower than 20 years ago. I learned that biking and lifting weights helps tremendously.
Now I’ve really got to work on putting all those things together for one race. Of course, my focus is on the Blue Ridge Half Marathon – I’m not diverting from my evolving year-long plan for that. However, I feel like I need to at least explore another event before that.
This race also coincided with my 30th high school reunion, making this entire weekend something special. It was great to reconnect with old friends and make new connections with classmates I never even had classes with. A few old grudges were thrown out and forgotten about, too.
Oddly enough, running the 10 miler felt a lot like that reunion: old faces, old memories, and a new core memories unlocked.
All of this now has me looking forward, not looking back …
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