More Like Jog to the River

Friday, October 23, 2009

The coldest day of the fall so far turned out to be a real help on Saturday when I and 150 other bundled-up joggers ran through Fulton Hill and Church Hill for the Rocketts Landing Run to the River.

Even though it was 10:00 a.m., residents in those neighborhoods who came out on their porches to pick up a newspaper or get a breath of fresh air looked perplexed. Perhaps they were wondering if something or someone was chasing us — indeed no, we were trailed only by helpful encouragement from volunteers.

The race raised around $35,000 for the Neighborhood Resource Center, which is a wonderful community center on Williamsburg Road in the Fulton Hill section of Richmond. It was also a warm home base for after the race, where we all gathered to sip hot tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

As for the race, I was warned the hills would be a challenge. But they weren’t that bad. Coming up Church Hill on slippery grass somewhere around the fifth-mile mark was probably the toughest part.

I try to get out and jog twice a week, usually along the trails next to the James River. But jogging with a crowd provided some much-needed encouragement as we discussed the local restaurant scene. Perhaps I should have been running faster instead of talking. The winner, MacGregor Lennarz, came in after 40 minutes. It took me 55 minutes.

Perhaps I’ll do better next year.