Dragging Some Girl Around Asbury Park

So, I've been having an internal debate about whether or not I should write a post about my experience at the Asbury Park Half Marathon, which took place on March 13th.  Obviously, I decided to write.  Seeing as how this was the weekend before St. Patrick's Day, I was wearing a kilt.  Cheap knock-off from Spencer's, but it looks good.  I was also sporting my Manchester United tech shirt.  MUFC All Day!!

If I haven't said it before, my favorite distance is the half marathon.  For the average runner (me), this distance requires some level of training and commitment.  Most people can't just roll out of bed and run 13.1 miles.  I'm happy to say that I can do that at this point in my running career infancy.  This distance is long enough that you must take it seriously, but not so long that you have to be maniacal about training. 

THEN

I was looking forward to this race, and hoping to post a solid time... not a PR, just a respectable time for the average mid-pack dude (me again).  For those that don't know, Asbury Park, NJ is "shore town" that has seen better days.  It's quite a wasteland at the present time, but they're always threatening to make a come back.  Still, there are some pretty sketchy areas if you stray too far from the boardwalk.  For this reason, we're sure, the race consists of 4 loops (YES 4) of approximately 3.25 miles... check my math.  It's basically up and down the boardwalk along the beach with a quick loop inland for about a mile.  Beach = Water = Wind.  Good Lord, the wind!!!  Constant throughout the morning blowing from west to east, as we ran north/south... uuggghhhh.  We were treated to the wind at our backs on each loop for about a quarter mile.
Thanks???


NOW

Lianne and I went down to the race with about 10 others from RVRR, and were then plannning to get breakfast afterward.  Always much more fun to race with other club members and hang out for a bit.
I'm the slowest in the group.  I know this... I own this... I don't mind this.  The race goes off and everyone trots out.  The first loop is spent weaving in and around slower runners, and trying to find some kind "wind shadow" that would offer some respit from the invisible force knocking me about.  No such luck.

At the start of the second loop, I noticed that a woman was on my right butt cheek, staying close as we headed north on the boardwarlk for the first hairpin turn on the loop.  I figured that she was just locking in to my mediocre pace, and trying to hang with me.  As we turned around the orange cone, she immediately shifted over to my left butt cheek.  Ahhhhhhh.... I get it now.  I am HER "wind shadow".  Big dudes cut big holes in the wind.  I turned to her, smiled and said "You've done this before".  She looked at me sheepishly and replied "Yeah... you don't mind if I draft off of you, do you?".  I didn't mind... I mean, I still have to run through the wind anyway.  Who cares if she's stays right behind me?  We chatted for a bit initially, trading race stories and discovering that we both ran the NYC Marathon last year.  Pleasant chit-chat, and then back to business.

We (I) slogged through the wind for the next 3 laps, not more than a foot apart at any given time.  As we hit the boardwalk for that last out & back to the finish line, she took off...  Okay, I did my "job".  I was happy with my pace up to that point, especially considering the wind.  At the last hairpin turn before the final mile to the finish, I saw her... about 20 seconds ahead of me.  No acknowledgement.  Eh, ok.  She's in the zone, I get it.  Strong finish for me, and a final time of 1:49:25... better than I was expecting or hoping for.  I was quite happy I must say.  This wasn't a big race, in terms of participants, so the finisher's chute was quite empty... maybe 2 other people finishing near me with a lot more to follow.  I saw this girl, but did not go out of my way to approach her.  I was waiting for her to come over and say "thank you" or "great race" or "how about that wind? wink wink".  Nothing... not even a wave, a smile, or a thumbs up.  I was disappointed, honestly.  I was looking forward to a little acknowledgement... something.

It wasn't until we all met for breakfast after the race, and I was boring everyone with my race story, that I started to get upset about what this girl "didn't" do.  I pulled her around that course for 3 laps, probably helped her PR, and then I get stuck with the check!  WTF!!!  So you know what I did?  Nothing.
What can I do?  People are selfish some times, not realizing that others are working just as hard, if not harder, than they are.  This is true of life in general, and not just running. 

Make sure you thank people when they help you... even if it's just someone holding a door for you.
I hold the car door for Lianne every time she gets in, and every time she says "thanks".  Two seemingly unnecessary gestures that just feel good, and lets the other person know that you appreciate them.
So, ask your waiter/waitress their name, thank the cab driver, hold the door for someone.  It doesn't take much, but the message is huge.

Car Back!
Dragon