Despite nearly two decades of running, I had never registered for a 10k race. I’ve conquered everything from 5Ks to marathons, yet the 6.2-mile length was the one distance that eluded me. That all changed this past weekend, when I ran Richmond’s Monument Avenue 10k through the scenic streets of Virginia’s capital city steeped in American history, albeit mostly a problematic one.
The former home of the Confederacy during the Civil War, Richmond’s monuments adorning the avenue it was named after, largely honored leaders of the pro-slavery coalition of Southern states. Coming to terms with its troubled past in 2020, the city removed a dozen Confederate monuments. Better late than never.
Despite the now ill-fitting name, the avenue provides racers with beautiful views of historic 100-year-old houses, lush green lawns, and a leafy tree-lined and generously sized median strip. Yet the picturesque scenery is just one component of what makes the race so appealing.
Beginning downtown near Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)—named a top 20 most innovative public university by U.S. News and World Report—the course is adorned with crowds of screaming college students distributing alcohol to those wild enough to partake, military members, long-time residents, and tourists alike. Not to mention several live music acts, DJs, and I think I even heard some aspiring karaoke singers sans music. It all adds up to quite the “fun run.” And that’s exactly what I needed after months of intense marathon training.
While all these race features are a welcome distraction from the task at hand, it’s just window dressing for me. That’s not why I ran the race. In fact, I didn’t even decide to run it. It was another runner—a newer runner—who forced my hand, or, rather, feet into racing.
Making strides
It was actually my wife who led the charge in registering us for the race. After years of on and off running, she recently decided to pound the pavement again. But this time, she intends not to leave it. She’s as committed as ever to the sport and is determined to make running a regular part of her life. How do I know?
Over the past several months, I’ve trained alongside her and our goldendoodle Nala for the race. Day in and day out, I had the joy of watching her stride roads as she made strides and hit her stride as a runner. There’s truly nothing like witnessing someone discover their love of running. I take great comfort knowing she now has a lifelong healthy activity that adds even more purpose, fulfillment, and joy to her life. Because that’s exactly what running has done for me over the years.
While running the race, with no time goal to concern myself with, I was reminded how much fun running is. That may sound silly, but, as I’ve said, I have the tendency to get so caught up in my marathon training that I lose sight of why I started running in the first place: simply because I love the act of putting one foot in front of the other. I love how it makes me feel, mentally and physically. I love that it adds meaning, structure, and routine to my life. And I love sharing the gift of running with others, like my wife. But I couldn’t possibly take credit for her becoming a runner. That’s all on her.
Show up and show out
Not too dissimilar from an addict going cold turkey, a runner deciding to hit the cold, hard road again after years off, requires navigating through much hard work, pain, and many obstacles. But by traversing through running’s many lows (and occasional highs), the sport’s many rewards await on the other side. As the famous quote that’s incorrectly attributed to Winston Churchill goes: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Her reward? She crushed her time goal by more than four minutes, yet, it didn’t matter what the race clock read when she passed the finish line. She accomplished everything she needed to the moment she toed the starting line.
I give her a lot of credit for sticking with her training. I was once a beginner, too, and I’m quite familiar with the struggle—the deep agony, the doubts, the frustrations. And the question constantly running through the mind while running: why am I doing this to myself?
Because, akin to life, often, the most important part of racing is just showing up. The same can be said for months-long training. Regardless of skill or experience level, every runner faces challenges and setbacks during a 90+-day training block. There are good days and bad. The only thing that matters is showing up for the next run. The rest has a way of taking care of itself.
And that’s exactly what my wife did. Despite an unbelievably stressful time in her life off the roads, on the roads she found a welcome escape from a drastically uneven work-life balance and first-time homeowner pains. Just one of the many benefits of running she discovered. I can’t wait for her to find even more of those benefits on her runs.
Through thick and thin
Remember how I said I know her love-hate relationship with running has evolved past just a fling? She’s already registered for her next race—the Boilermaker 15K, July 14 in Utica, NY. Training begins next week, and she couldn’t be more thrilled to get back out on the roads—and stay there, for good.
I mentioned the Monument Avenue 10k was our first 10K, but it wasn’t our first race together. Back in 2019, we completed a small-sized 5K in Washington, D.C. Although we ran together, we didn’t train together. Mainly because my wife decided not to train. Unsurprisingly, she had quite the miserable experience. It was half the distance, but she felt twice the pain. Add in the hot and humid DC weather conditions, and, well, I wasn’t sure if we’d ever run another race together—or if she’d ever want to run again.
Again, analogous to life, running is all about showing up, especially when you have no desire to. She showed up this time and put in the work to be in a position to have a fun and successful race day. I’m excited to continue witnessing her evolution as a runner as I “ride shotgun” alongside her.
Throughout our six-year relationship, we’ve consistently pushed each other to make strides off the roads. Now, that’s translated to on the roads, too. And, you know what they say, a couple who runs together, stays together. Yet another of the many benefits of running.
