I'll say this about myself. I love to compete. Who doesn't? Even though the temps were in the upper 90s and the humidity was off the charts, I RACED.
Plus, today's race was organized by the famous Fredericksburg Area Running Club.
I mean, these are some fit people. As in fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. You get the picture. I lost the race by an even greater margin than if my competitors were all grandmas who worked at Walmart. What's a man to do? I did finish the race -- and ended up looking more like a wet dishrag than a human being.
The good news is that my kids won't have to listen to me regale them about another great race. So it's all good.
Yesterday was an amazing tour of the Brandy Station Battlefield.
The battlefield was the scene of 21 total military actions that took place at Fleetwood Hill during the war. This is far more than other battle venue in the country. Bet you didn't know that. Neither did I. But Brandy Station was the scene of another battle -- a high-profile preservation battle. I mean, at one point the city fathers rezoned 1,500 acres of the battlefield to allow for an industrial park. What in the world were they thinking? Later, a formula one racetrack was proposed for the site. Good grief. Thankfully, due to the relentless efforts of preservationists, plans to develop the battlefield were abandoned. Today, 878 acres of the Brandy Station Battlefield are open to the public, including walking trails and a driving tour. Nice. I congratulate the American Battlefield Trust for doing the right thing and for their diligence and dedication to make this happen. It was a great victory for Civil War preservationists for sure. It pleases me no end that there are people in the community who recognize the value and significance of our national battlefields.
To recap today's race, 10 miles is a long way to run, in case you didn't know it. It's also a long way to bike. Shoot, where I live, people don't even drive 10 miles in a whole day. I'm serious. But when the day is done, 10 miles is just 10 miles. Even though the thermometer said 100 degrees, I knew there'd be some shade eventually on the course. (There wasn't.) Some runs are just like that. Could it be I possibly deserve these problems? (Note to self: next time take a bit more water with you than just two 8-liter bottles.)
At any rate, I'm signing off now. Need to apply as a Walmart greeter. God knows I'll make a good one.