fun times!

the alarm went off at 5:30, and I somehow managed to get slava up by 6:15 and out the door. After wandering around Tierra Blanca for 35 minutes looking for the firefighter station and the medical school, we found the starting line of the "5k Race Against Obesity." Slava pinned a number on his shirt, and warned me that if his foot was hurting, he would just turn and go home instead of finishing.

The race started, and I felt good. There weren't any km markers, so i just judged my pace by my breathing. I jockeyed with some teenaged boys for a while, and one of them swore something very nasty at me in spanish when i passed him (pinche pandejo).

I glanced at my watch when i started to feel tired, thinking that the course seemed long. We were running up a gradual hill at that point and I was sloowing a bit. Suprisingly, we had already passed 20 min or so, and I thought I was running about a 24min pace for the race, but there was no way I would be at the finish line in 4 minutes.

Sadly, 2 dudes passed me at this point, and I was trying to pace them. I finished in 31min, and everyone agreed that the course was "6 1/2 or 7km" so I'm happpy with that time. Anyway, it was good enough for 2nd place of the women, and I got a silver medal! yay! Sadly, Blanca, the ever-present first place, got a $1,500peso gift certificate for a spa. how nice.

Not being tired enough, though, and having a running schedule which dictates 21k for today, I hitched a ride with another runner back over to the botanical garden and did another 14.5k. Luckily I had a stash of gatorade baggies and sunscreen. Fo the last 4 miles, un uknown dude was pacing me from about 5 meters... a little healthy competition at first, but then I felt weird. I was happy, though, that it pushed me to keep an 8:24 pace or so the rest of the way, without any water stops. At the end, I saw who it was; just a familiar guy who runs at the garden as well. After he finished, I gave him some gatorade and he complimented my pace.

Just at that moment, slava and chico arrived. What a sweet sweet dessert! No wait, my sweet dessert was the slice of cake I just ate. I made it yesterday: white chocolate-blackberry layer cake. divine.

I love running!!