Pursuing gingerbread

Today, Saturday, was what for me, the final race of 2016, the Gingerbread Pursuit 4-miler in downtown Fort Wayne. It started near Cinema Center, an art-house movie theater and finished between the Allen County Courthouse and the Lincoln Tower.

Gingerbread cookies were available in the Courthouse rotunda after the race. They’re made by a local bakery, Pembroke Bakery.

I thought the race started at 8:45 a.m. and took my time to get from home to Cinema Center, where runners picked up their race numbers and T-shirts. I don’t live far and rode my bike. As was going into Cinema Center, streams of people were head out. It was 8:24. As I was picking up my number, I was informed the race starts at 8:30. Ugh. No use arguing. I quickly pinned my number to my shirt, and ran back to my bicycle. I stuffed my jacket and T-shirt into the saddle back and made my way over to the start, about a block away.

I met Dick Harnely, a fellow veteran and volunteer at Eagle Mash, en route to the start. We decided we didn’t need to rush too much, the race had timing chips, so even if we started a minute or two late, we’d get an accurate time. Turned out there was no need to rush. Mitch Harper, the race director was making last-second announcements when we got to the start area.  The race benefits the History Center, our local history museum, and our race bib gets us into the museum’s annual Gingerbread Festival, which ends Sunday.

It was cold, probably in the 20s with some breeze. There was a bit of sun trying to peek out through the clouds. I admit, I was running this race with a bit of trepidation. I was beginning to resent the cold. The Holiday Run Streak was leaving me with aches. But once the gun went off and I got into a groove. I felt pretty good.

When I crossed the finish line, I was thinking about the cold. I was thinking about how good I felt. I wandered into the courthouse looking for the gingerbread beer that was available. I didn’t find it, though I did see someone with a cup of it. I head back out and met a fellow Team RWB member, Richard. He said he was using today’s race as prep for next week’s 50K trail race at Chain O’ Lakes State Park. The HUFF is also a race directed by Mitch Harper.

As I write this, the race has been over about 3 hours now. I’m still feeling good, though I think I want a nap before going to work this afternoon.

The finish line for the Gingerbread Pursuit 4-miler on Berry Street in Fort Wayne outside the Allen County Courthouse and Lincoln Tower

The Allen County Courthouse with the PNC Building behind it. The PNC Building is Fort Wayne’s second-tallest building.

The Lincoln Tower, which for years was Indiana’s tallest building. Now, it is Fort Wayne’s third-tallest building. It was built during the Great Depression. The I&M Power Center, Fort Wayne’s tallest building, is behind the Lincoln Tower.

My Holiday Run Streak is now at 17 days. Snow is in the forecast for later today through early Monday morning, so keeping the streak alive will be a challenge, especially if we get a lot of snow. After the snow moves through, the temperatures are expected to drop with highs in the teens Wednesday and Thursday. As of now, I’m planning to run again Sunday.