Bacon and eggs for half price

2004-09-18 - 9:16 p.m.

Today was the race. I ran 12k in just over 1:15:00, which is a pace of just over 10:00. I'm happy with this. In fact, I'm really happy with this! Racing is an interesting experience. Everybody has such different styles. My style is to pick a pace and run it the whole way. Some people seemed to start out slow and then get faster as they went along. And there are those people who are capable of carrying on conversations the whole time. Not me. When I run I've discovered it's better to say "Morning," to people I pass instead of "Good morning," because I can get it out better in one gasp. Whatever. And it amazes me the people who can spit while they're running. I don't exactly know where my saliva goes, but I sure don't have any while I'm running. And I discovered that I don't have the skill necessary to drink water from a Dixie cup while running. I nearly choked myself to death while attempting this.

Today, at the race, I ran into two people I know who I didn't know were going to be there. The first was my P.E. teacher from elementary school. He ran the 12k and got first place in his division. The second was my friend from high school who's wedding I went to this summer. Yes, the wedding I actually attended, not the one I skipped. Apparently her husband is a runner and he got her into it. She ran the 12k and finished about 30 seconds ahead of me. She didn't pass me until about 4.5 miles in. She's so funny, she told me that the week before they got married, she and her husband ran in a marathon. She said, "He got a really good time. I threw up four times." Anyway, he placed in his division in the 12k here too.

And speaking of placing, my grandfather placed. He got second in his division. Of course there were only two people in his division. What's really cool, though, is that my dad also got second in his division. Go Dad! They both did the 5k.

I was looking, and in order to place in my division in the 12k, I'd have to have a pace of less than 7:30 per mile. That means I only need to shave about 20 minutes off my time. OK, so there will be no medals coming my way any time soon.

So that was basically my day, this race. My cousin didn't come, and it was a bit of a relief really because when my cousin and my aunt's boyfriend are together in the same room they drive me crazy. My aunt's boyfriend forgot his running shoes (this is the guy who is a marathon runner) but we both wear mens 8's so he borrowed my old running shoes. He kept saying they were really comfy. I can't imagine wearing somebody else's shoes and running 7.5 miles in them.