Saturday morning. July 4, 2015. A few minutes before the
7:30 a.m. start of the Firekracker Five running race in City Park, Fort
Collins, Colorado, about two blocks from where I live.
A long row of porta potties lines one of the streets inside
the park and I’m walking by. One of the doors opens, slams quickly shut and I
hear a voice calling my name. I stop for a moment. Do I know this person?
Sudden recognition—and surprise. It’s Dana. We met in Albany NY, a little over
a month ago, at the Freihofer’s 5k race for women. We chatted some. I learned
that she and her partner, Penny, were headed west in their RV in July. I
mentioned where I lived and the fact that there was a fun 5k in my town on July
4.
What are the chances that, among 1,600 participants, we’d
bump into each other this way? We ended up spending a good bit of the holiday
weekend together—at the parade in rural Wellington where tractors outnumber
floats and the car show nearby and at a couple of pre-fireworks friend and
family gatherings in the afternoon and evening.
Dana and Penny got an insider’s look at the area from
Altitude Running store where they redeemed an award card (Dana won the 40-44
age group) to the foothills trail near Horsetooth Rock where they went for a
run the next day.
Sunday, under the shade of some big trees in City Park,
Penny generously shared her expertise in the Pose Method, a running technique
designed to guard against injuries while allowing for faster running with less
effort. Well, it takes some practice to get good at it, but several of us were
delighted to learn about it.
After a casual lunch at my house, Penny and Dana were on
their way. We’ll follow their travels and stay in touch because we’ve become
friends. And if we’re smart, we’ll work on that Pose Method a little bit every
day.
These are the chance encounters that make life
worthwhile.
1 comment:
Your blog caught my eye. And I live in Albany, NY and was at the Freihofer's 5k too.
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