Running at Sage Summit

Sage Summit was last month in a humid Washington, DC. Like most other frustrated athletes, I was looking for some outlet for exercise during the stand-at-your-booth, graze-all-day conference. I hit the running path early one morning, and ended up running alongside a fit, energetic guy. "You here for the Sage Summit?" he asked. "Yes, I work for a third party developer from Vermont" I responded. "Oh. You must be with MISys." Always pleasantly surprised to get that instant recognition, I asked "How do you know MISys?" "We sell your product out in California. I'm Mark Severance with Arxis." As I stopped early on that run, Mark sent me an email later that day and said "running at 5:45am with Rob Johnson," author of Kick Your Own Ass. Oh man. I recruited Sean Fitzsimmons, a martial arts athlete with Central Nervous Systems in Vancouver to join us, and the four of us hit the path on a 10k run. "I'm not a runner," said Sean. "You are today, bubba" said Johnson. DC in the summer is 90% humidity even at 5:45am. It was really a cleansing, full body kind of sweat. In the end, Rob and Mark pranced on ahead as Sean and I brought up the rear. Two days later, Sage organized the 5k National Harbor Walk and Run, an out and back along the Potomac on the same bike path. Mark had already left the conference, and Sean said "I am not a runner." So it was Rob, me and about 300 other people at 7:15 in the morning in the casual, but well organized run. Rob ended up winning the race in a 6:38 pace, I finished 5th in a 6:52 pace. (I ran as a bandit, not having signed up in advance.) This was the first conference I've attended where I have found other runners looking for some running event and camaraderie while pounding the pavement. I am definitely going to look for them again at the next conference, as it brings a different dynamic to the event the makes it better rounded. Good stuff.