Timing is Everything

On Sunday morning my husband and I walked in our first 5 K. I cannot write my husband’s exact words when I told him I signed us up for the charity event. Let’s just say he implied something about my mental state.

“We walk that distance almost every morning,” I said. “Why are you complaining?”

“Because we walk at the crack of dawn, we don’t walk as fast as we used to . . . and I don’t want to be the last across the finish line.”

The tropical sun was above the horizon when we knelt with the other participants to insert the timers in our shoelaces. Before the race began, we were instructed to let the runners go first. We listened. The other walkers did not, thus we were the last to leave the starting gate. My husband was not a happy camper and let me know several times as we trailed the pack around the track. Thankfully, we were not the last to cross the finish line – and the few behind us were decades younger. My husband’s ego was intact.

Doing a 5K in Florida with no shade along the course is not something we would ever do again. We were hot, tired, and sweaty when we finished. I did what I always do when I feel scorched and no longer care how I look: I drank some of my bottled water and poured the rest over my over my head. We chatted with friends for a few minutes and then headed home to shower.

My phone rang just as I walked into my house. The caller ID said the call was from the friends we had just left. "Eda, you’re famous! You came in third for your age group!”

Timing is everything!