The Back of The Pack Rocks

I’m a middle to back of the packer, depending on that day’s pack.  I will never be fast and I suspect, since I’m squarely in middle age, that this is about as fast as I’m ever going to be.    I had my PRs in my first 5K (34:03), 10K (1:13), and Half Marathon (2:36 –first in my age group) and have come in slower in every race after those PRs.  I’m hoping that won’t be true of my marathon (5:51) but that won’t be determined until later this year.   I am intimidated when women my age manage an 8:00 pace and can finish a half marathon in 1:45.  But on the other hand, I’m out there and working hard for TWO hours and 45 minutes (my half PR was 2:34 but haven’t seen that since.)   We pay the same for our events and get twice as much value! Just kidding.

For us middle and back of the packers, it takes a lot of stamina, mental grit and training to stay out there for 5:30, 6:30 or longer for a marathon.   Each of my marathon training runs over 15 miles was a more than 3 hour endeavor.  Even getting on the road at 5 AM, I often didn’t get back to the house until nearly 9 AM.  On a hot morning, that’s a long time and a lot of water.  While a fast runner needs to take 2 GUs to get through a marathon, we slower people need to take 5 or 6.  Have you ever taken 5 GUs in one morning, as good as some of them taste, 5 is disgusting, even worse when mixed with a little Gatorade.  Yuck, my stomach is turning just thinking about it. 

When one of our family members comes out to support us on a hot or cold day for anything longer than a 10K, it’s a major commitment.   It you finish a marathon in under four hours,  you have no idea if your family would even come out if they had to spend 7 hours on the course!!!!!  

But there’s a camaraderie in the back that I don’t think is experienced in the front.  The back is where the real stories are found. The back of the pack rocks.  This is where people who have overcome obstacles to run can be found.  This is where people who have never been athletes but are trying something for the first time. Maybe we aren’t big time athletes, but we are athletes nonetheless.    People in the back take care of each other, if someone goes down, we stop to help.  We know we’re not going to win anything so what does it matter if we do not PR.  Although it might have been fun to be a fast, young runner, I’m satisfied being in the back and enjoying those around me.