The Infamous 5K

So.....I have been writing about this 5K that my sister talked me into. It wasn't just some run of the mill (excuse the pun) 5K. It was to honor a fallen brother from 9-11 and to raise money for a charity that his family had set-up in his name. What I experienced was something that i don't hink i ever will again.

First, my "training" was anything but that. I ate better and exercised a little more, but I don't think it helped too much.

Second, the run itself was amazing and uplifting in many ways. There were Marines who did the whole thing in full gear and pack, firemen who did it in gear and packs, and physically challenged participants. There was someone there who had one of the running legs that is metal and shaped like a C. I watched him run and it inspired me. I thought to myself, "Here is a man who lost his leg in some sort of unknown accident and is here to prove something to himself, while i complain when we're out of Pop-tarts." Then i got to thinking to myself, "Screw him! I bet he got a better parking space." Probably the hardest part of the run was the tunnel. Not only was it long, but it was hot and had no air movement. I started running through the tunnel and probably got around 3/4 of the way through when i couldn't run anymore. I did some speed walking that burned my thunder thighs more than when i probably ran. Finally, my vision became more focused and i could start to see the light at the end of tunnel. I had to pinch myself to make sure i hadn't died of a heart attack while i was in there. While my heart pounded, my feet ached, and my excitement grew i could only think of one thing; finishing the race and being proud of myself
and what i had just accomplished. WRONG!!!! I was only HALF done! Now mind you, while in the tunnel, my nephew Jonathan took off like greased lightning and i thought i would never see him again. There were so many things i never got to tell him, like that i loved him and thanks for being so good to my kids. But i hear this voice from behind me as we exited. It was him. My first thought was, "Did he lap me?" Apparently he fell back and took his time and ran with someone else. What a beast.
I can say that coming out of the tunnel was very inspiring. There were hundreds of firemen of the FDNY who were holding flags of their lost brothers and flags of our great nation. They were cheering and shouting words of encouragement. The only thought i had was, "Kiss my ass and start running!" The rain started to come down as soon as i came out of the tunnel and of the things on my mind was, "please don't fall, please don't fall." The other thing was how much freaking longer is this race? I tell you what, i had a real runner's moment, probably because i watch too much TV and the olympics were on just on. But, when i rounded the first bend there were people handing out cups of water. My jittery hand reached for one and the words "thank you" were mouthed, but I don't think they came out. So, i drank a little and poured the rest on my head. Now, you have to remember, this isn't mile 24 of a marathon, and i am already wet because it's raining. TV is a powerful thing.
Speaking of TV, I'm glad i there wasn't a camera following me, because i probably looked like the most retarded person out there. Sweaty, limping, my hands flailing like i should be wearing a helmet, and that was prior to the race. Now, i've watched races before on TV and i am pretty sure that they would have put me in a whole different category on a different day if they would have seen me run.
The end of the run wasn't too bad. I finished in 40:40. Not bad for someone who is the body double for Fat Bastard. I wasn't too out of breath, the only had to give me a nasal cannula, and i actually felt good. Not bad for a days work. The worst part was the second 5K that we did getting to our bus, but that is for another blog.