Running With The Wolves and My Girls

This week we bring you a mash-up of sorts of Monroe Doctrines present and past.

Yesterday was the culmination of my semi-volunteering/getting talked into running the Second Annual Running of the Wolves 5K. My daughters, Ally and Kristi, wanted to do it. Ally’s an old pro, having run it last year (Monroe Doctrine May 24, 2010). Kristi was giving it a shot for the first time.

We go to registration to pick up some swag and receive our runners bibs. Much to my chagrin I was assigned number 21. The marathon gods are laughing at me. Will I juice up and perform like Sosa or underperform like Colvin or go old school like Greg Gross?

I noticed last year and again this year, there seems to be a parental courtesy of slowing down to run/finish the race with your child. However it doesn’t appear to be a reciprocal relationship. Ally took off at the starter’s gun and Kristi came down the homestretch, saw the finish line and took off like she was the Roadrunner getting away from Wile E Coyote (little puff of smoke leaving her heels included).

My hope was to finish with a better time than I did last year. But since I didn’t train at all, was one year older and the last time I went for a run was the First Annual Running of the Wolves, the odds weren’t favorable. Surprisingly I finished 14 seconds behind last year’s pace with a time of 35:12 (ok, so I performed like Colvin), which if you turn that into a whole number is the amount of aches and pains I’m feeling this morning.

I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. This year there wasn’t a positive Cubs team to focus on. The Rebels are stumbling in eighth place, and I didn’t want to be focusing on that for 3.2 miles. So I charged up my IPod and set the tunes to Straight No Chaser (Monroe Doctrine April 20, 2011). I knew I was going to need the guys to carry me through the hard parts (basically everything after the first half mile).

That strategy worked pretty well. “Up On The Roof”, “Billie Jean/Poison”, “For The Longest Time” and “Heard It Through The Grapevine” took my mind off the pain in my legs, the cramps in my sides and shortness of breath. Down the home stretch I queued up “Lion Sleeps Tonight”. The goal was to finish the race before they finished the song. It was close, but mission accomplished. Before the final “Aweemaway” I sprinted past the school’s principal and, wait, what the hell is that? Oh god, dehydration and delusion must be setting in. There’s a huge six foot dog at the finish line. That can’t be right, can it? Don’t piss him off! Give it a high five. As it turns out it was a guy in a big dog suit that is the mascot from Aaron’s Furniture & Electronics in Aurora.

I will tell you that one parallel in life and sports is focus and determination. Ally was determined to improve on her performance last year and get a medal. She did it. Knocked five minutes off her time and finished second in age group, garnering not a medal but a trophy.

We’ll be back next year for more pain, suffering and pride.