I was excited about my first 5k. Not being one for lofty inspirations, my goal was simple: finish. I had been trying to work up to 3.1 miles for the last few weeks and thank goodness I did because my legs would have been inoperable otherwise.
The race was the UW Bothell 5k, put on by students in some sort of Program Management class. The entry fee goes to the scholarship fund for UW Bothell students. Overall, the event was organized well, except someone cruelly put a hill in the first 1/2 mile and again in the last 1/2 mile. That’s just mean. These students will make great CEO’s.
We showed up with plenty of time to check in and get our race numbers and our goody bag. Mine had a razor in it (which I’ll probably never use) as well as energy bars and a transfer guide to UW Bothell. We took our bounty back to the car, which was parked in the parking garage, just in time to watch someone enter the low garage opening with their bike on the roof of their car. Oops! The sign indicating the low clearance was knocked down. The bike was probably a little worse for wear too but I didn’t get a good look at it.
Just before the race started they forewarned us that there were going to be two hills. They forgot to mention that the hills were huge. Jerks. There was an old man, say around late 70’s – early 80’s, who ran past us at the start. Then we passed him, but only after he started walking. Then he would pass us again. Then we would pass him. And so it went until somewhere around mile 2 where we passed him for good. We made the final course turnaround point and headed back toward the final hill. As we rounded the corner, there was the old man. Dammit! How was it that he was right on our tails?
Note the belly coming out from under the shirt. Also, my arch nemesis is in the background.
As I rounded the corner before the final hill I was determined not to walk – even though I really wanted to. So I charged up the hill. Ok, I didn’t actually charge up it. As a matter of fact, some of the people who were walking were going as fast as I was. Anyway, I didn’t see the finish line anywhere in sight and that was really disappointing. How much further was I going to have to pretend to run? Though if I had thought about it, how mean would it be to put the finish line halfway up a hill?
Finally, I crest the hill where there is a short flat area. Still no finish line. What the hell? So down the hill I go and I figure the end of the race is near because they are letting cars onto the course. Hello? Safety Officer? Continuing down the hill and turning to the right I see the entrance to the chute to the finish line. Glory be! I’m feeling pretty good at this point so I take longer strides. The crowd, all 20 of them, are clapping. Chest out and heaving I cross the finish line of my first 5k: 37 minutes and 49 seconds.
Three Fatty-Bo-Batties 