The Last 100 Yards...

I turned around and saw the road, the road I had just sprinted across to end my workout. Each year the small town where I live celebrates its existence by holding a celebration. Back in the day, we called the week-long event Farmington Fiesta Days. Due to the threat of being offensive, the name of the event was changed to, and remains to this day, Farmington Festival Days. Each year for Festival Days, the city holds a race. Back in the 1990's when I last ran the 5K, the race ended right where this picture was taken, at the end of this road.

Tonight I ran the 5K course twice. The first time, I ran/jogged the course. The second time, I jogged/walked the course. Each time I sprinted the last 100 yards as I turned the corner just before the elementary school, the school I used to attend. I sprinted passed my car, then passed the red car and stopped, exhausted both times.

It was a perfect night for a run. The wind kissed my back and the sun danced behind the clouds as I pushed my out-of-shape body up and down the sleepy roads of my hometown. The memories of my childhood returned to me as I jogged passed the city cemetery where a headstone with the names of my parents etched into the granite resides among hundreds of others. I ran passed the city park and saw little league baseball games where players and their parents dream of future glory, and I remember the days I wore a baseball uniform and tried to help my team win. Finally I reached the road where the race ends. I sprinted the last 100 yards then stopped to allow my body to recover from the workout. I looked back on the road, a road I've run many times before, and I snapped a picture before I got into my car and drove home.