Maria and I just ran the Annapolis ten miler, along with many Reston Runners' friends
We decided to spend Saturday night in a hotel, a short distance from where the event starts and ends
A light dinner with close friends was had in the evening, and then it was off to get much needed sleep
For the next day would offer up challenges, with hills that got kind of steep
Those wake up calls seem to come oh so early; no matter, we were ready to go
And I wondered how I'd do in today's race when last year I was very slow
I'm thirty pounds lighter than last year so, I hoped that this might help a lot
But, I don't run well in warm weather and today promised to be fairly hot
We joined the runners who stood poised near the start, waiting to hear ready go
I had planned to stay just behind Maria but, her speed I had no way to know
Well, as soon as we started Maria vanished and suddenly my plan was gone
So I decided to manage my race with split times that I'd get at each mile all along
The first mile I warmed up nicely as I searched for a sustainable place
Then low and behold, off to my right was Maria with "bad day" all over her face
I slipped by my spouse without a word, for I knew what could happen later on
I likely hear the words "hi babe, how are you doing" and then with a whoosh she'd be gone
Well, the splits stayed good as the miles went by and, the words from Maria never came
And I crossed the finish line with a P.R. and for the first time beat Maria at her game.