Stu's Country Mile 5K Race Report

The "spacey" front of this year's Stu's Country Mile 5K race t-shirt.

You wrote your name on a sheet of paper for your age group, gave race director Denny Payne your $10 and picked up your T-shirt. No such thing as a race packet in Centerville. Even the bib numbers from three years ago (the last time I ran this race) are gone.

Not including Huntsville's John Slate, here are the Seven Hills Running Club members in attendance today. A little on the light side this year. That's Chris Wilson, Ken, True Cousins (behind in the straw hat), Ben Johnson, Tim Johnson, yours truly, Jerry Flanagan and the Spencer family.

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The Fourth of July is a sacred day. It is a day that, as Americans, we are to celebrate our independence as a country. [And I forgot to thank those that I know who served in the military earlier today for their service.]

But it should also be a day for respecting our elders. And I did just that today. :)

After the first block on the downtown square of Centerville's Stu's Country Mile 5K, I knew - after an hour run on the treadmill last night - that it wasn't going to be my day. Therefore, I decided that I would run with the patriach of the Seven Hills Running Club, Ken Johnson.
It made the $10 race a lot more enjoyable than beating myself up about my time.

We ran close to Barbara Chenette of Crockett most of the way. (Earlier this year, she lost her husband, John.) Our finishing time was 34:01.38.

We talked about a number of things during the race and I remembered how Ken got me motivated to run the Huntsville Half Marathon in 2004. (I don't like the course any more today than I did since the first time I ran it; however, I had a reason to prove to Ken that I could run it in under 2:40.)

Regardless of the time in the race, I had a good time. Our sport is more about the fastest time every time out. Wish there would have been a bigger club turnout including many of my TIR teammates.

One thing's for certain with Ken: he's consistent in his pace. It is pretty steady. As the finish line came in to sight, Ken mentioned something about me going on. I told him that if I "run with you the entire way," I'm not going to go taking off on somebody. (Well, I didn't forget about the last mile of a 20-mile stint at Rocky in '07, but the truth is the unfortunate truth.)

I hope everyone has a safe, healthy and prosperous Fourth of July with friends and family.

If you're going to be at the Red, Hot and Blue Festival in The Woodlands' Waterway Square at around 6 p.m., see Rodney Hayden and may find Waverly singing "These Arms" with him again.