Cold Turkey Run...

After about a month of periodic training, T-Day arrived. It was about 40 degrees, and my wife was questioning her participation as we drove to the race. At the race, it was crazy. This is quite a big event (~8000 runners), and it was a mob at the start. I got my chip, and we tried to surf the crowd up to the front of the pack. So after finding a group labeled "40min" (my goal for the day), we tucked in.

A few observations:

-Race Chip: To get the "chip time" apparently you need to run over the "chip mat". This is all new technology since my five year sabbatical from the sport. I was busying dodging and weaving and running in the gutter instead.

-Pacing: I never ran with a watch, but hoped there would pace times at the mile markers or halfway. This wasn't the case, so I basically ran with no info. Rookie mistake for sure.

-Pilgrims, Turkeys, and Santa: Everyone passed me! People dressed as the previous mentioned characters, along with little kids & balding pudgy guys... it was devastating for my moral and I was sure I was running 12 minute miles as it happened. The people lined up in the 40min group were crazy, fast liars.

-Post Race Feast: The post race goodies were chucked on the table with piles of bananas and bagels like slop for pigs. The runners adapted and ate like them.

All in all the race went well. I ended up with an unofficial chip time of 40:09, and with any updates, I think I could have reached my goal of sub 40min. More importantly, I did not suffer the after effects of the run whatsoever. Mrs. Schwangston also ran a PR, but probably would say she is still working out some "post race issues".

Despite the progress in running these past few weeks, I would like to announce to the Schwangston readership of my hibernation from the sport until 2010 when I will gobble again...

Thanks for reading...