Trick or Treat?

Seriously, another 5K? Yeah seriously. I realize this is wholly out of character for me, but what the hell there isn't anything else to do here except go to work.

So while the civilized world is out getting drunk, toilet papering trees, egging houses, and the various other activities of "All Hallows Eve" we here at Camp Arifjan took to the prescribed 5K route at the witching hour of 2000, or 8 pm if you are in the National Guard. I did not even have to be goaded into it this time. I just went out and ran it. I can't sat it was fun as I like to define fun, but it was cool. As you can see I have another t-shirt to add to my collection. It is my goal to leave here with 12 t-shirts, one for each month.

I finished under my alloted time of 30 minutes. I was at 29 something, I didn't really pay attention. Unlike last time, my roommate was not here to harass me the whole way about my pace. I just kinda ran along. Until I realized i was at about he 4 K mark. Then I started noticing all the females around me. Now don't go hammering me about being a male chauvinist pig. There are truckloads of females that run faster than I do. Some younger, some older. They work harder than I do at it and they are faster, doesn't have anything to do with gender and I know that. However, I was not about o get beat by a bunch of females with in eye shot. Maybe it is a character flaw, but that's how I feel about it. So, I pick out the girl in front of me and focus my running to catch her figuring I'd get a few meters in front and cruise on in. I chug away and wouldn't you know it, there is like a pack of 'em in front of her. Well, darn sure can't have that so off I go. Get there, a few more past her. This goes on for a minute or two. When I started this I only had about 1,000 meters left in the race so by now I'm turning the corner to the finish-line. I'm thinkin to myself "Where the hell did all these women come from?" I keep running and by now I am sprinting. Unfortunately so is everybody else. We are all pretty similar down inside in the military, we don't like getting beat. Now keep in mind we are at 28 minutes. The winning time was 16 something, so we have been beaten. Beaten almost as badly as Ohio State will beat Michigan (had to get that in there). None the less, in every ones mind the same thought is screaming out "don't let that guy/girl beat you." So we are just pumping it in. PAss that person find the next,pass them find the next, pass them. I gotta say, that is the best part of the race. Those last couple hundred yards that you are just pounding it out.

So in i rolled. Felling like I had achieved some victory. In a pure statistical sense, I got beat by over about 50% of the pack. I know that, but still I am going to go out there next month for the Marine Corps Birthday Fun Run and do it all again. Its an odd thing. I really don't like running, but I sure do like finishing!