Run, Run, Run Away

Yesterday, I survived another race.

NASCAR you ask? Um, no. I'd probably crash at the first turn.

So you're an Indy girl? Um, no, but THAT would be cool.

I used my own two feet and ran.

Yes. I'm crazy just in case you were confused. We've had a break in the weather so we had temperatures in the 70's during the race instead of already hitting the mid-80's by the 7:30 am start time. They had sprinklers set up every few miles to cool us off, just in case we needed it.

This race was a 15K., 9.3 miles of screaming hamstrings bliss. These races can be somewhat entertaining. It's the people, of course. There was also a 5K event. Some of the folks you would think had never put on a pair of running shoes and these were the folks that think they need to line up in the front of the pack. You spend the first part of the race trying to get around them only to have one of them stop suddenly right in front of you. EEEEKKK!


Others you can tell had done this a thousand times. One girl was telling me about her last race, an Ultra-Marathon which is just way too many miles to talk about at this point. I wanted to whop her upside the head but I just smiled and said "wow". I'm nice like that sometimes.

While running these races, I leave the iPod and ear buds at home. I enjoy the sights and sounds of the course. The course was beautiful. It was basically a large loop around White Rock Lake in Dallas, including a construction area that smelled liked they dug up Hell's septic tank. I didn't see any dead bodies in the water, just a few old tires and some quacks ducks.

Nobody wore a funny hat or costume.

This is wrong in so many ways. Now where is Batman?

Nope. Not even that.

Most of the folks were wearing as little as possible, expecting very hot weather. Folks, let me tell you that there are some VERY SKINNY runners out there and many of them have boobs smaller than mine! THIS, I like. And, yes, there are guys out there with boobs larger than mine. Let's not go there.


Now for the sounds. I've noticed that woman will sometimes run in pairs. The first conversation I heard was all about caring for your infant. Zzzzzzzz. I tried so hard to tune it out and I was very happy that they passed me before they started talking about the poop.

Next, it was a group of about 5 people that were playing trivia. One guy asked the incredibly lame question of "Pick 5 people you would have at your dinner party" and the girl answered Oprah as the first person on the list. I starting feeling sick to my stomach. I'm sure that was the reason why. It can't be having to come to a complete stop to grab water at the inadequate water stops and then climbing a hill and starting to realize my meager breakfast had run out. Nope. I'm sure that wasn't it.

I bet you can't wait for what was next. Remember that this area of the U.S. is called the Bible Belt. That's right. One girl was telling another about her church, the minister, and studying the bible. I thought they might pray right there on the course. Hum, maybe they could put in a few good words for me.

It's not that I was offended by any of the topics but I felt like these people were talking to each other like they were having a drink or a cup of coffee. They did not seem to realize (or care) that everyone around them could hear their conversations. That just struck me as odd or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it.

And what is it with the idiots that set up at mile 9 and play "Running on Empty" on their boom box? If looks could maim...

I finished the race and got my food goody bag but passed on the beer (remember the stomach thing). Ironically, this beer truck was from that same brewery that Chris found in Fort Worth when he got left behind last month. Maybe it was good that I didn't sample any. I settled for a Diet Dr Pepper and some crackers for the longish drive home.

The race benefited an animal protection agency and they had puppies on display for adoption. I wanted to take them all home. I didn't. Cat would not be happy and might decide Puppy would make a good meal.

The results were finally posted and I finished 18 out of 41 in my age group. I wasn't overly excited about my 1 hour and 31 minute finishing time but I'll take it. Training has been very tough lately with the intense heat we've had and my disinclination to run on a treadmill.

I stopped short of jumping into an ice bath but I did sit on an ice pack to temporarily soothe the whining hamstrings.


Some of you may remember that I want to do a triathlon but that I have not done any serious swimming since I was, um, let's say 10. I have been going to the pool and swimming a couple of times a week. I have not drowned yet so I must be doing OK.

Photo credit: vikings: NoHoDamon on flickr.com, Creative Commons license (see sidebar)