Speed of lightning, bolt of thunder . . .

Originally published April 15, 2007

I finished yesterday's 5K with a chip time of 32:47.9, which is about a 10:30 mile. Not too exciting for most runners, but I'm ecstatic. I ran in the same Victory Over Violence 5K a couple of years ago and finished in 34:20.75, #476 compared to this year's #317. Believe it or not, I've had much worse 5Ks, and I think my PR was only about 29 minutes, so I'm really happy. Given my current condition, lack of training, weight, age (and just about any other excuse), I think this a good stepping stone to another personal record (even snails have PRs).

Yesterday morning was COLD and WINDY. A cold front moved in Friday with tornadoes and hail. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to help direct early traffic, and I was SO cold. I think weather conditions helped my run though because I was happy to do anything warmer.

When I ran a couple of years ago, Kim fussed at me because I slowed down at the finish line. Normally, I'm like a horse headed to the barn when I see the finish line, but I usually won't pass anyone near the chute because I know how hard they've worked to get there (and I've seldom worked THAT hard . . . probably why my 5K PR is 29 minutes).

Yesterday, I started to sprint and passed all the other remaining slow-pokes long before the chute. I was pretty excited, then I heard footsteps behind me. I never looked back to see if the runner was possibly pregnant while pushing a triple stroller or an octagenarian pulling an oxygen tank, but I did find the burst to not get passed.

I told Kim (who wasn't there -- something about the early morning arrival) that I was THE MAN and showed no mercy to other runners at the finish. She just rolled her eyes.
So, no Underdog-caliber speed of lightning, etc., but the race was fun.