October 2003

I am a runner. Or, more accurately, I am a plodder.

I borrow this term from Elizabeth Wrenn's article, "Plodder's World," that appeared in the February 2002 issue of Runner's World magazine. Plodders, as described by Ms. Wrenn, are "a compassionate, encouraging, and highly noncompetitive group," who love races, but who fill the space, "between the last of the svelte and perky runners, who have come to the race to race, and the first of the walkers." I was not blessed with speed, but I run three days a week, every week. Most of the time I complete 5K races in between 36:00 and 38:00 -- I'm not breaking any land speed records, but I'm reasonably consistent, and I'm having a good time while getting some excellent exercise.

When you're a plodder, you don't have any fantasies about winning a race -- simply finishing is victory enough. But participating is still a great deal of fun. First of all, races are great events for hanging out with old friends and for making new acquaintances. Secondly, most runs are organized in order to raise money for charitable causes, so by taking part in them you are helping the social good. Additionally, many races take place in unique locations that you would never otherwise have the occasion to explore on foot.

For Mets fans who enjoy running, the annual Run to Home Plate at Shea Stadium, organized by the New York Road Runners, is the highlight of the racing calendar. This year, the 8th annual Run to Home Plate took place on August 9, 2003, and it raised money for Project A.L.S. The Run to Home Plate had two components -- the 5K run, and the Minor League Run for children ages 2-12.

The Minor League Runs began at 8:30 am. There were different runs for different age categories, ranging from 75 feet for the youngest runners up to one-half mile for the older children. The runners waited in Shea's parking lot until their age groups were called, at which time they were ushered onto the Shea field for their chance to run in their favorite major league stadium.

Then came the main attraction of the day -- the 5K run. The route begins in the Shea parking lot, heads west to Flushing Meadow Park, loops back to Shea, and finishes near home plate. Whether you're a runner, a plodder or a walker, your incentive to finish the course is pretty high.

My husband, Kevin and I set out from Central New Jersey at 7:15 that morning, so that we could allow for the horrendous traffic that often materializes on the way to Shea but, fortunately, was not so horrendous that morning. We arrived pretty much at the same time as my www.kcmets.com colleague David Whitham, who traveled to Shea from Connecticut in order to take photographs to accompany this column. Once my husband and I registered for the race and Dave registered for this guest pass, we took a few minutes to visit the bleachers in the Shea picnic area. The bleachers are the only area open to the public during the Run to Home Plate, and it's where you go if you aren't participating in the race but you wish to cheer on those who are running. The mood in the bleachers was festive, with some people cheering on the Minor League Run and others simply relaxing and taking in the scenery before the 5K.

We eventually wandered over to the subway, which was our appointed place to meet up with friends Julie Prall and Cyndy Sotomayor. Cyndy is a plodder like me, but Julie leaves the two of us in the dust. But all of that was secondary to the business at hand -- the excitement that we were going to run ON THE FIELD at Shea!

Finally, it was 10:00. Mr. Met, in his orange jersey, was there as the horn went off and the race began. Those of us who raced in past years noticed a slight change in the route because a good portion of the Shea parking lot had been blocked off for an automobile demonstration. Julie immediately zipped out ahead of us. Kevin ran along with me, even though he's much faster than I am. I was ahead of Cyndy, which is the first time in any of my races that I've run ahead of anyone I know. But Cyndy is a plodder extraordinaire -- she may not be fast, but she's preparing to run in her first marathon this fall. Since I've never run any distance beyond four miles, I am in awe of her will and perseverance.

So we ran towards Flushing Meadow Park, and the front-runners, who had reached the turnaround point, began to run by us on their way back to Shea. Then Julie passed us by, and yelled out, "There's no Unisphere this year!" No Unisphere? But the official website of the New York Road Runners (www.nyrr.org) specifically said that on the race course you run around the Unisphere and then return to Shea! And since the Shea part of this 3.1 mile race is only the final tenth of a mile, the course is pretty drab if it omits this beloved remnant of the 1964 World's Fair. But the bottom line was that the course was altered this year, and we were on our way back to Shea somewhat earlier than we had figured we'd be.

The run back to Shea was a rough one. Most summer races begin well before 10:00 am, and in the heat of the day it is hard to maintain one's pace. The first time I ran this race was in 2001, and I struggled so much in the second half that I wasn't sure I'd be able to complete the run. But I kept telling myself that I couldn't allow myself to have my first failure at Shea, and I persevered. This year I didn't suffer quite as badly as that, but my pace on the third mile was definitely slower than the first two.

Finally, all of the slogging paid off. Just before the 3.0 mile mark, we entered Shea Stadium through the centerfield fence! We waved to Dave, who was taking pictures in the Picnic Area bleachers, and proceeded down the crushed gravel towards the finish line near home plate. By the 39:00 mark on this hot day, Mr. Met had long since stopped greeting the finishers, but it was a great moment nonetheless -- standing near home plate and taking in the scene at Shea! We walked past the Mets dugout, and noticed that the bench is now padded. We peeked into the Mets bullpen to see what's growing this year (corn, tomatoes and pumpkins). And we joined Julie in order to cheer Cyndy's delayed entrance. As it turned out, Cyndy encountered a runner who was suffering from dizziness and, in the true plodder spirit, rather than leave the woman alone Cyndy took time off her own pace so that she could stay with the woman and finish the course with her.

In the end, it didn't matter how fast we ran, how the route had been altered, or how hot the day had become. We had completed a physical feat and were celebrating with friends in a place that we usually watch on television or from the confines of the stands. Special moments are meant to be savored, and completing a 5K at Shea was certainly one of those moments.