River City Wrap Up -- The conclusion

Where was I? Between Miles 2 and 3. The course wound it's way along the river (St. Mary's, I think) and I kept control of my pace. The number of people I was passing had slowed to a trickle and I started to recognize everyone around me. Slight incline, I stomped right up. Mile 3 in 6:56.

It sinks in, I am nearly at halfway and I am holding the pace and it feels ok. I start to think about whether I will pick it up again near the end of if this is the pace. I look ahead as we head south on Harrison Street and I don't see many runners. I have propelled myself into some sort of "no man's land." We turn up Barry, pass my dad's old office building. I feel a bit of nostalgia as I truck on past the Fort Wayne National Bank building with its ugly white trim and dark windows. Who dreamed that up to be the defining structure in Fort Wayne's skyline?

I feel myself surging as we turn onto the historic Landing. Somewhere in there Mile 5 has clicked in at 6:44.

The last mile or so was cool, up bridges, around twisty streets and through a park that didn't exist during my boyhood. Constant changes make the mile go faster. As I round a turn and could see the Mile 6 marker ahead, one thought entered my head "if I can just keep going and cross the line this will be an unqualified success." Two years, really more, it took to get me to this moment. I looked down and saw my bib and smiled. Mile 6, 6:50.

The finish was just ahead, the line was just steps short of the historic Fort. I didn't sprint to the finish, no runner was near enough to make that an issue and this race wasn't about that. I crossed the line, punched my watch and grabbed a bottle of water from the cluster of young Army soldiers in fatigues. All of them so young that my first thought was that they were in costume. But they weren't. These young kids are just who does the fighting and dying. But that was not really my thought then, just now as I reflect.

I walked around, went to the warming/food tent and had an apple and some nice warm coffee. I waited a while, not wanting to leave and because I wanted to see if by some chance I had placed. I really hadn't -- sixth or something in my age group and 47th overall (as I would be several weeks later at Rock -n- Sole, strange coincidence). The laugh came as they announced the women's masters winner, "from Wilmette, Illinois," I looked around to see who this woman from Wilmette could be, "Danielle Fogel." Oops, that's me. I am not a woman, but I am a runner -- again.