Passed by Dogs

by Doug Wood
(Cincinnati, OH USA)

It was a cool autumn morning and I was running my first official 5K race, the Fury Scury in Dayton Ohio for rescue animals. I had played soccer at a high level for over 10 years at the time and ran quite often to stay fit. Keep in mind most midfield soccer players will run 4-6 hard miles in a 90 minute match.

So I get to the starting line and there are 100's of dogs ready to run with their owners. I didn't know this would be the case so I thought no biggie, go with it have fun.

I then made the rookie mistake of weaseling my way to the front of the pack to get a good start. The starting buzzer went off and we were away. I kept pace with the leaders, to my peril, for the first half mile and they slowly left me behind.

The first mile was just over 6 minute pace and things when bad from their. i was so gassed from the excitement of the race, running the first mile above my head and generally being unprepared to race that the last 2/3rds of the race were awful.

As I was coming into the last half mile I could hear heavy panting, not just mine, but that of an animal. The dogs that I had previously jumped ahead of had now caught and passed me.

This was my best run even though it seems like a nightmare. That day has stuck with me. It provided a foundation of respect for other racers, respect for preparation and respect for pacing. By the time I crossed the finish line I clicked a 26+ minute time and ate every bit of my humble pie.