This is actually my worst performing race of 2013, because I'd accidentally double booked this weekend with 10Ks. Early in the year I'd signed up for a Prospect Park 10K with Ryan and Kat (which they ended up not being able to run due to pregnancy) for Saturday the 12. Then, at some point in the year, Kenny agreed he'd do a race with me and I picked this 10K on Sunday the 13 because I'm bad at putting things into my Google calendar. I actually ran the Saturday race pretty well. It was my first 10K, I ran the whole thing, and clocked a decent time that I don't remember anymore. This race, though, was trouble even before I got to the start. I woke up with sore legs and knees that I tried to stretch and ice, to little avail. About a half a mile after the gun my left knee started to tighten and my right ankle started to throb. Limping to favor either leg just made the other pain worse, and I soon had to start walking as Sammy sped on ahead. I continued to walk/run for the next couple of miles (still, somehow, far ahead of Kenny) until about halfway through the race I was convinced I would not be able to finish.
During what I thought was my final walk break before having to abandon the course, I heard a guy cheering me on. I looked over and saw an overweight runner plugging along, and I recognized him as someone I passed miles ago. I started to run with him, and literally this guy is the only reason why I reached the finish. It doesn't matter to me that I was among the last finishers, that random runner who dragged us both through those final hard miles through sheer determination, made this one of the best races I ran that year.
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