That would be how much they are charging me for side swiping the post in the rental van in the parking garage. How much does that suck? Don't they realize I am a broke ass grad student? For real, the thing needs a small buff job and a paint touch up. Argh!
That's it.
I am totally not driving at the Wild West Relay.
In other news, I ran a 10k this morning. I actually hate this race because it is a double loop and there is a huge ass hill you have to do twice and it is a small fast field, but I got free entry from Kori so I did it anyway.
The weather was gorgeous, so it actually wasn't that bad. I was trotting along with Kori at the start when all of a sudden someone grabs my shirt from behind and pulls me back and runs past me. After being mildly stunned, I realized it was George, who is a hilarious 50 something accountant who is the ringleader of our running group. After body checking him, we ended up running the rest of the race together (we let Kori drop us after we hit the first mile in 9 minutes, which is way too fast for a 10k for me). George cracks me. He told me he went to the Runner's World website and took the online course on how to be the course asshole. He would say ridiculously funny things to the volunteers that they totally wouldn't get because they mostly weren't runners (as we bring in the back of the pack "How deep do they pay on this race?") So at least I was entertained.
After the second trudge up the hill, he slowed down a little because he was planning on doing the 5k too afterwards and another girl I have run with (Erin) who had been 10 yards behind us the whole race caught up a little when I stopped to get water at the top of the hill (yeah... I was thirsty... I didn't need a walk break or anything). I don't know how fast Erin and I ran the last half mile to the end, but I was trying to stay ahead of her and she was trying to catch me and we were just both booking it. Two corners before the end she caught me and then as we turned into the chute, she had a tiny kick left and I had nothing and I came in about 10 feet behind her and we both wanted to throw up. It was a good way to end the race, even if I wasn't the victor.
I came in at 1:01:43, which is 26 seconds off my PR, but five minutes faster than last year. (Last year was crazy hot and humid) That time was good enough to get me fifth from last. Seriously. In what kind of race can you run sub-10s and be fifth from last?
I thought about jogging the 5k with Kori and her sister (it was her sister's first race and she was going to run/walk 12 minute miles), but then I realized "Dang! I have a half-marathon next weekend!"
Designated Driver
13 hours ago
12 comments:
Oh, it definitely sucks!
But I'm glad you had a fun run today ... and a good time, too.
If you put up a PayPal button, we will make modest contributions to the Accident Fund!
The race sounds fun...
Yeah, so that totally sucks. The car, I mean, not the race - the race was great! And a 1/2 marathon next weekend? Holy wow, is there a weekend when you are NOT racing? Good for you!
1. dude that totally BLOWS about the $350. That's, like, 1 night in Tromso! (which is itself a sad fact)
2. isn't it cool that 10Ks are now kind of a "fun run"?
3. see you next week!!
Yeah, the small races are always so fast. I took my non-running friend to a New Year's Run Your Hangover off 5 miler (after accidently telling her it was 5K) and she was third to last with 11 min/miles!!! I guess snowy New Year's weather only brings out the crazy runners!!
I'm glad your footsie seems to be keeping in check. Enjoy it all!!
Ouch...that sucks. But...it did make for a really funny story. :)
Dude, five minutes off your time from last year is huge. That hill is evil. Without the hill I am sure you would have beat your 10K PR.
I thought about doing the race and then realized I can't even run 6 miles right now. I stayed in bed :)
Well $350 is quite a race entry fee. Usually you don't have to make them on the installment plan.
Nic ejob in the 10k....and Good luck in the half to come!
The rental repair bill sucks for sure. I got a rental car this past weekend for the Lake Tahoe Relay. After runnin' my leg and spending 12 hours driving around the lake with the team I gassed up with a quarter tank still left in a Hyundi. $55. Cost more than the four-day rental itself.
Good luck on your half.
I am so inspired by your running. So much wanting to get into running. It is an ongoing thing on my blog.
I am one of those who is constantly talking the talk, and not walking the walk. Watching those of you who are doing it and wanting to do it myself...
I am hoping the more that I read you guys, the more it is going to rub off on me and I am going to become one of the cool ones like you that can say "I am a runner."
Kayce
Nice job at the 10k!! And good luck at your upcoming half (and at driving....)
;)
The thing with small races, I think, isn't that they bring out lots of fast people. It's just that there are fewer people, period. When I run small races I usually finish closer to the front or even win occasionally. We probably wind up finishing in about the same percentile position in small races as big ones.
Unless that's not true. Actually, I have a new theory, with no evidence to back it up. Assume that the distribution of race finish times is approximately normal if runners choose run random races. The fastest runners (guys that can consistently run 15:30 5ks, for example) will quickly realize that the odds of their having competition at small races is minimal, and avoid them disproportionately; the slowest runners will do the same (and just as quickly). Runners that finish close to the middle of the pack (my ex-roomie Danno is a perfect example) can run just about any race and have plenty of people to out-kick at the end. So your percentile position will tend to be pushed to the extremes in small races.
There could be a couple more skewing factors in play, now that I think about it more. First, fast runners are more likely to be serious runners and thus more likely to hear about obscure races. Second, runners around my pace, rather than being deterred by potential lack of competition, are encouraged to run small races because they have an outside shot of winning. And these two factors might actually significantly skew small race packs fast.
Clearly more research is required here.
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