Saturday, May 3, 2008

Corinth Dragon Dash 5K

This race was what I like to call a beeotch. It was very chilly, kind of windy, and I was feeling kind of heavy from all the food I ate yesterday at the party.

All proceeds of the race went to a local elementary school, so there were a bunch of kids everywhere. I'm not a huge fan of small, young humans. They bug me. The Culver's Frozen Custard mascot was walking around, and a bunch of the young boys were like, "Let's jump him! Let's knock him over!" Poor guy. Or I guess it could have been a girl. We'll never know.





















The starting gun went off and everyone sprinted out of the starting area. It was insane. Remember the episode of Friends where Phoebe runs? It was like that. Body parts were flailing. I was trying to pace myself, but I felt like I had to speed up just so I wouldn't be last. Everyone was going so fast. Of course, they all started to lose their breath and slow down, so I got to do my "Mwa ha ha ha!" laugh at them. The race wound its way through the local neighborhood. It was hilly. I was getting passed by kids and their 30-something parents. It was discouraging, to say the least. I'd given up hope of repeating, let alone beating, my previous 5K time of 29:42. I don't wear a watch while I run, so I had no idea how long I'd been going.

I tried to keep my eye on a woman about 50 feet in front of me. I just had to stay close to her and I'd be fine, I thought. Her pace was steady. Toward the end of the race, she stopped to tie her shoe and I passed her. It was all downhill form there- literally.

At the finish line, I saw Angie snapping my picture. She's so sweet for coming to all my races to support me. She'll be joining me in next weekend's Run for the Dogs, which benefits the Humane Society.

Anyway, as I came into the finish, I didn't even look for the clock. I was just so exhausted, I wanted to get that chip off my shoe and go find a quite corner to puke in. I felt sick. My ears were buzzing and I was all tingly. That's the way I feel right before I faint. Somewhere in my foggy brain, I heard Angie tell me I came in under 29 minutes, which is a personal best for me.














I really didn't care. I wanted to get some water and get the hell out of there. I smiled for an "after" photo, even though I felt like total crap.





















The best part of this race was getting home so I could take a hot shower. Now that I've had some time to rest, I'm extremely proud of my finish time, especially because the route was so damn hilly.

Angie and I will be driving to her home town today, where there will be a hot dog roast and some catching up with her family. I'm really looking forward to it and don't plan on feeling guilty for indulging.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Morgan,
I also ran that race but I want to commend you on your amazing weight loss achievement over the past year.
Keep on running as I'm convinced, from experience, that there are few things better for the body and soul.