November 25, 2010

Fact #137: If you run 5 miles first, you get to eat more later

(That's the theory anyway. I'm pretty sure even if I'd run a marathon this morning, I'd still be stuffed to the brim right now.)


Three weeks ago, when I signed up to run the 5-mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, it seemed like a brilliant idea. This morning, when I woke up at 7am on my day off to the sound of rain falling outside, it seemed like a less brilliant idea. And at 8:30, as we stood under a tent, cold and wet, watching the rain pour down and waiting for the race to start, it seemed like the dumbest idea ever.

My better (or lazier) judgment kept telling me to go home, go back to sleep, and not get up until it was time for pumpkin pie. But, in keeping with tradition, I refused to listen to my better judgment. And I'm glad I didn't! It ended up being a really fun race.

It was raining pretty hard and the temperature was in the high 30s when the race started. So I tried to dress right for the conditions. I wore lots of layers, with a good wicking Under Armour shirt as my base layer. Then another shirt. Then a light jacket, then a heavier jacket.

To keep myself dry(ish) at the start line before we started running, I poked a hole in the bottom of a trash bag and pulled it over my head like a poncho. I didn't poke arm holes though, because I was seriously freezing and I didn't want any more holes in the bag than necessary. I'm a wimp about being cold!

Wearing a trash bag at the start line is a pretty common thing for runners to do -- it keeps you warm and dry and then when you start running, you can take it off and leave it instead of having to carry it around with you like you would a jacket.

But when the race started, I realized I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to my trash bag. My toes had already gone numb and I didn't think I could stand to lose a layer. So I ran, with my arms pinned to my chest inside the bag, for about 2 miles. By that point, the exertion finally started to get my blood moving and I got some feeling back in my feet. It was still raining pretty hard, so I didn't want to ditch my bag entirely, but I didn't need it so much for warmth anymore.

So, in a moment very reminiscent of the dinner scene in Alien, I clawed armholes in the bag from the inside out. And with soaking wet shoes, two shirts, two jackets, a hat, a buff, and a trash bag on top, I ran the next 3 miles with a big ol' smile on my face.

Then I went home and went back to bed until it was time for pumpkin pie.


Til tomorrow!

1 comment:

mps said...

What, no pictures?!!