my first turkey trot

on a day i was supposed to be full of warm fuzzies, i was instead full of frustration. i left in plenty of time to get to the race but because of my stupidity, i read highway 50 as highway 5 on the directions and i ended up totally turned around. i got to csus campus just in time to wait in a huge line of cars. not wanting to wait and desperately needing to pee, i made an illegal turn to park semi-illegally. i figured it's a holiday, they're lax on parking enforcement right?

i had no idea where on campus this shindig was supposed to start but i figured that hoardes of people couldn't be wrong. so i followed the crowds, very dismayed that all i saw were families and strollers. 20,000 people were expected to show up and they gave strict directions to those who wanted to be timed to get there on time to line up in front of the mobs of walkers.

so i start on my own trot, just to get to the start line. i swear to bob this thing started on the other side of campus. i made quick use of the potties and tried to weave my way through the sea of walkers. the race had already started. how long ago i'm not sure because stupid me forgot my watch.

i'm weaving my way in and out, trying my best not to be an asshole. i mean it was my own fault for being late, but i was still aggravated. little kids everywhere. strollers everywhere. walkers lined up 3 or 4 or 10 abreast. seriously, why in the world do walkers do that?!

about this time i press play on the ipod i borrowed from my brother, because stupid me forgot my own. first song? everybody was kung fu fighting... i thought, oh this should be interesting...

so i'm zipping along. it's more of an urban fartlek exercise than a race. i'm weaving in and out, dodging little ankle biters, hopping up onto the sidewalk, side stepping tree roots, bounding over potholes. i'm running, i'm walking, i'm jumping. i'm honestly surprised i didn't either elbow an old lady in the ribs or sprain my ankle.

once the 10kers split off, i had a little more room to zoom and i got into a pretty even pace. it felt good. i was finally running again. in the crisp fall air. i felt all badass in my special gloves, special hat, and brand new kicks. being one of very few runners in a sea of walkers makes me feel very cocky.

the rest of the race was pretty uneventful. nothing special to note, except for this: women of sacramento, i beseech you, invest in running skirts. seriously. they hide ALL sins. and i should know, i am the biggest sinner of them all. but at least i cover that shit up!

anyway, back to the new shoes, i got fitted yesterday by the most luscious tall drink of chocolate milk ever. perhaps that's how i walked out of the store with a pair of shoes $30 more expensive than my last pair and a pair of socks i didn't really need! after going from a pair of motion control, to super motion control, to stability shoes, i've been outfitted in a pair of neutral shoes by new balance. they said my orthotics are taking care of all my pronation issues and when compared to the new version of my old model, the new balances felt much more comfortable and roomy in the toe box area, a place where my old shoes felt too snug at times. salesman failed to mention they were $120. but whatever, they are magical shoes, i'm sure of it.

so back to the race, i finish and see the clock: 47:09. i estimated that i was about 10 minutes late and i was close. i was actually 10:50 late. so my real time is 36:18. an average pace of 11:43. the bad news: while i didn't feel spent, it was an effort. the good news: i really do feel invigorated in my running again. a month from now, we'll see where i stand!