02-02-02

It's totally after-the-fact, but I said I'd write about Groundhog Day, so here it is. Most of you are still waiting for my Christmas card, so you won't be surprised to see me writing about a holiday weeks after it has passed. Or maybe you will be surprised... that I got around to it at all. Wait. Would this be a good time to get those pesky cards done? Maybe later.

Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog Day? It came out in the 90's. I saw it at the dollar theater across the street from campus. I thought the movie was cute, but I distinctly remember falling asleep during it. Every time I woke up, the same thing was happening in the movie. I assumed I had merely drifted off, so I relaxed and let myself nod away. I thought it would never end! True story.

The reason I mention the movie is because we went to Punxsatawney a few years ago and it was eerily similar to the movie. They actually played that same annoying song over the speaker system. And it was freezing cold! There were ice sculptures, pancake breakfasts, town dances... the works.

Another thing they had--which was the reason the celebration initially crossed our Cleveland-dwelling radar--was the Groundhog Jog. That year, I decided to take up running. (Don't worry; I'll post some other random thoughts about why I hate running. This entry is mostly about Groundhog Day.) When I started looking for inspiration in the form of a local race, I stumbled across the Groundhog Jog. HOW FUN! Brad and I went out and bought running shoes (did you know they make shoes out of this meshy-fabric stuff that doesn't weigh 10 pounds?! I didn't.) and started training.

It was just a 4-miler, so I thought it'd be the perfect length for my first race. What I didn't count on was the hoopla that would ultimately interfere with my enjoyment of the running experience. We had to get on a bus around 3 in the morning to head up to Gobbler's Knob. When we got there, we were surrounded by drunk people who had been there all night and crazy townspeople who boasted about knowing the mayor. We even have that one on film! Finally, just as the sun was coming up, we got to hear Phil's prognostication. And boy was it worth the wait! Unfortunately, by that point, my pre-race Gatorade had caught up with me. I looked for the portas, but they were on the other side of the hill, so we opted for jumping on the bus back to town.

Big mistake. We ended up sitting in traffic for hours. We would have just gotten off of the bus and walked, but we kept thinking we would move sooner or later and it was COLD outside and there were heaters on the bus. Finally, I was getting sick at my stomach from needing to go, so we did get off the bus. We walked about a mile and finally found the downtown celebration. There were portas... and long lines. By the time I got to the front I was actually crying from pain and frustration.

After that, I didn't really care about the race, but we were committed, so we headed to the starting line. I got to experience the excitement of getting my number, cool shirt, and timing chip (like they couldn't keep track of the small pack of runners?!). When the shot fired, I took off at a slow jog. I didn't care if I ended up at the back of the pack. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Yeah. Five minutes later, we started up a hill, and it was only then that I realized we were headed right back up to Gobbler's Knob. Why hadn't I just stayed there?!

This is becoming the longest blog post in history, so I'll wrap it up. Long story short: I was freezing, exhausted, and panting painfully when I finished the race, but I finished running. Everyone cheered for me and I heard one of the race organizers announce, "Here comes our first-time road runner!" Mercifully, they didn't add, "... in last place."

It wasn't my shining moment as a runner, but, hey--it was the Groundhog Jog. To this day, if you Google my name, you'll find the results of the race. And it's true: I came in 105th. But at least I did it, right? And, I mean, how many people can say they participated in the Groundhog Jog... and on 02-02-02?!

109.