Penguins, Track and Running 101

Ten years ago, I became a penguin. I didn't really intend to become a penguin - it just kinda happened.

I had been going to Ed's races for several years and while it was impressive to watch the "good" runners sprint across the finish line, I always seemed to marvel at the not-so-good runners...the runners who straggled along at the rear of the pack, gasping for air and being closely followed by the police escort. To me, they were the runners who deserved all the adoration and attention. I mean, everyone knew that Mike Slinskey or Marissa Hanson were going to come across the finish line in close-to-first place...it was just a matter of how many seconds they were going to cut off their time. But, the real suspense was if the penguins could muster up enough energy, motivation, and/or divine intervention and cross the finish line.

So, when I turned 40, I decided to run my first 5k. It was then that I officially became a penguin. And, ten years later, I am still officially a penguin. Ten years after the fact,I would prefer not to be a penguin. But, so be it. Some things may not be meant to change.

Nevertheless, when my neighbor Laura (a fellow penguin) asked if I wanted to start going to a Track "training session" every Tuesday, I decided that maybe with a little coaching, I could graduate from the Penguin division to "Beginning Runner". What the heck - it was worth a shot.

At the first training session, a woman came up to me and introduced herself. It quickly became clear to me that she was the self-appointed "Track Mother" (thanks to Ed for the appropriate name). Besides sending out emails with the Muscle of the Day (who even knew I had these muscles?), it seemed that the Track Mother's responsibilities included greeting new Penguins, yelling at new runners when they were in the outside track lane, yelling at new runners when they were in the inside track lane, and apparently, she is also the "Keeper of the Porta-Potty".

But, more than anything, the Track Mother is intent on playing Matchmaker. She is determined to match runners of similar speeds so they can run together. Because, according to the Track Mother, nobody likes to run alone. Based on our VDOTS (and I still have no idea what VDOT stands for), we should be able to find another runner at the training session and socialize as we run. When asked what my VDOT was, The Track Mother replied "No one has a VDOT that low... it can't be". Yes Track Mom... it can be.

While The Track Mother seems to have good intentions, what she doesn't "get" is that some penguins (myself included) do actually want to run alone. I joined this track training session because I wanted to try to increase my running endurance, lower my 5k time and possibly pick up some tips from the coaches. I am perfectly content running solo and saving every molecule of oxygen that I have for running.

However, two weeks ago, after the training session, the Track Mother approached me yet again and bestowed upon me the merits of having a running partner - or a running "pack". Trying to keep an open mind, I listened to her theories and thought maybe she was on to something. Maybe if I were chatting with another runner, it would make the time go faster or make the agony of running seem somehow less horrendous. And, when I reminded the Track Mother that my VDOT was "oh-so-low" and that finding another partner within this group of experienced runners would be difficult, she contemplated for a moment and then declared that she had a solution. I, the penguin with the low VDOT, would get a "head-start" and then the pack of runners, with not-so-low VDOTS, would start to run. And, at some very quick point, they would catch up to me, our VDOTS would somehow blend and we would all run together in harmony.

I politely declined this offer.

So, for now, I am continuing to run solo as a penguin. And, most people who know me well, know that I have one real long-term goal for running: to compete in a 5k when I am 70 years old. It quickly became evident to me that there are few-to-none 70+ year old women 5k runners. Finally, I'd be a shoe-in for that long awaited trophy! And, who knows, maybe at that point, I'd feel the need to be a more "social" runner. Or a Track Mother. But one thing's for sure, I'll never be the "Keeper of the Porta- Potty" LOL.