Perspective

Yesterday morning I arranged to meet my sister for a run around Burke Lake. One loop is 4.7 miles, which for me is a longer-than-usual run and requires finding extra stamina and internal "grit". This grit is necessary to combat all of the predatory thoughts that seek to destroy my objective.

As I entered the park I was immediately struck by how many people were there. It was like a sci-fi movie of ant-like people scurrying in every direction. Saying hello, she and I both remarked on the trail traffic we were sure to encounter and laughed as we each acted out our sorry selves serving as interference for those much speedier.

In order to get full credit for the 4.7 while still getting in a little warm up, we chose to take a walk around the parking lot instead of heading immediately onto the trail. What. A. Mistake. We overheard a few people talking about how many laps they were going for. Laps? In my world one complete loop around the lake is IT. It isn't a LAP!! Lap implies having to do it multiple times. And we knew they meant multiple by the answers - "oh, four today" and "I don't know. Last time I just kept going until I wasn't coherant any more... I think it was probably six." Are you kidding me?!

Now that I have exercise, and more specifically triathon, on the brain, I am much more attuned to bumper magnets that proudly display driver accomplishments. It's sort of exciting (in a really goofy and probably very dorky way) to see 70.3 and 140.6 as I am out and about. The very fact that those distances are so far, and that there is a very small club of people out there who can say that they have done these, keep the sightings fairly irregular.

Until we got to the lake on Saturday morning. I am convinced that everyone in Northern Virginia who has ever done an half or a full Ironman was at the lake with us. After the first row of cars, I was nearly speechless and my sister was laughing so hard she could barely walk straight. Aside from ours, which cars DIDN'T say one of the following: 26.2, 70.3, 140.6?!?! To say that we were getting intimidated doesn't even come close. If she hadn't been with me, I am positive I would have driven home immediately.

But we began. Amidst the throngs of mega-athletes, we were able to find a pace and keep going. Everywhere were runners clad in their long-distance regalia. Such-and-such Iron Man. Insert Name Marathon. Dare to Tri. I swear one man lapped us four times. I can't even get how that is humanly possible.