Race Recap

So, there I was, at work on the web, looking at the numbers 82 and 60. 82 degrees and 60% humidity expected during my 3.5mile trek to Kenmore Square from the Boston Commons...and back. I new I needed to hydrate myself, so I gulped glass after glass of water and bottle after bottle of powerade. I believe I was the first man EVER to issue this statement to a co-worker, "I feel bloated." Yes, pussy. So, I ate my normal sandwiches and had my normal snacks and then got ready to take a shuttle van from South Boston, all the way to the Boston Commons.

When there, we hike to our 'meeting spot.' All, sorry, MOST other teams are well constructed - matching shirts, shorts, even headbands. I wore a navy blue shirt (but very breathable, thank you underarmour - WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!), my co-worker, a white shirt and some others mixed and matched. But then we got our team shirts. Remember, bright sunshine, 80+ degrees, humid. keep that in mind. Our tees come out of the box and they are... black. not black, but black black. I muttered to myself, "darkness, everybody, daaaaarkness!" Nonetheless, some wore them, I threw it in my bag. After 2 piss breaks, I was back with the group, downing water and getting ready to line up. I was with a former co-worker, who I thought ran fast, but I was wrong.

We started out in a pack of people and I had to stop running at three different points during the race, all on the front leg. Bummer. On the way back, I was golden. Prefontaine. Brace-less Forrest Gump. Call me what you want. I was flying. Until I tripped. No, but that would be funny, right? Anyway, too make a long story short, I get to the finish line at 30:38.

30:38 and I estimated that I could've pulled a sub 28 run if I was up front and not in traffic, possibly a sub 27 time. Not sure, but I am almost positive my slowing down cost me precious minutes. Oh well, it was fun. As I crossed the finish line, I wanted nothing but water. I passed a fire hydrant that was rigged with a sprayer. I thought it was a quick spray, but no. I was soaked from head to toe, along with a slight smell of ass. I got my free t-shirt from the sponsor and pen (a pen, oh yeah). I make my way to the company meeting space, and we all reminisce about our experience while we are dying of heat exhaustion.

Best Moment: Hearing someone scream, "man down! man down!" during the early stages of the race. Story is that someone tripped and landed on their face. Good job. Last time I checked, the road was flat and no moguls were present, champion.

Best Moment (runner up): finishing the race and not passing out. Now that I know I can do this, I will try to make this a regular summer routine this year. I will try to do 5 of these, as long as they are for a good cause.

Worst Moment: smelling like ass and grabbing a beer with the team after we were done. Not good.

Worst Moment (runner up): walking through that 'mist' from the fire hydrant. I now have a new fear.

So, to recap, I started in the Commons, ran 3.5 miles, and ended up in the same exact spot. Pointless.