What do you think of when you hear the part of Arlington, VA known as "Crystal City?" Is it National-Reagan Airport, lots of hotels, the Crystal City Restaurant with "strippers" required to wear g-strings and tassels by stupid Virginia blue laws, or taking a run through this business district? Years of weight gain, becoming bald, and not taking care of myself caused me to have a 235-60-16 spare tire, along with high blood pressure. My food choices included, "Here, have a heart attack, or here, have a stroke." Although I do miss fried chicken, huge cheeseburgers, and ice cream, the sodas are now a compromise that I can live without. Thank you water, orange juice, and beer. Can I have stock in the Chobani company yet? This greek yogurt is like crack, for those of us, who choose to lose weight and also eat healthier. They are delicious, and the raspberry and lemon are top notch.
April 13th 2012 marked my long await return to the running circuit. Now weighing in at over 200 lbs, I was not to be confused with my lean, string bean body, that I had in high school. There I was on the cross country and track teams, and did not require an angry rottweiler to keep me moving. Those were the days, and I'm still pissed at the 18-20 years olds, that run 15 minute 5k's by the way. Just saying, with age and genetics, its amazing what can be accomplished. Bastards. Anyhow, the Crystal City 5 K is an event sponsored by Pacers Running Stores, that have several locations in the D.C. area. I am thankful for them being a part of the "return to flight" or "return to making the pavement scream," as I've now been running almost everyday since Jan 23rd when I purchased shoes from them. As a victim of two knee surgeries, they were able to help me find the right pair, so that they wouldn't buckle or swell up after the race.
It was a joy to be joined by friends for this event, including two wonderful ladies who ran in it, and a bear who drinks beer. The online registration was easy, and I brought my bald ass to the location on 21st Street, by using the Metro. Before going though, I had my "power meal," of lamb meat with cheese and broccoli. My "gas mileage" was excellent, although there were a few issues in the race. First of all, again I am pissed at the young bucks who are able to run like that. Did I mention that before? :). Second of all, there were a few minor glitches. For instance, the volunteers who were AWESOME, had a couple of oopsies. This would be not having the mileage markers up, which led to pain that I have not felt before. At the time I was angry, but now I'm laughing, and am thankful for this.
The fact that these were not up, along with no timers on the race, made it that much more difficult. At the start of the race, I immediately felt the competitive juices flowing, and made a break for it right away. This was a huge mistake. In a way, it was a lot like buck fever in hunting season, and I quickly realized how old and out of shape I am. The first mile was probably the fastest I've ever run, at least since I was a young man, but this led to strain and pain in the second and third mile. Yeah, I'm a wuss. Marathoners are running reading this right now on their Garmin gadgets going "What a wimp!" They are right, although I am forever indebted to a kind gentleman who let me know I only had 2/10ths of a mile to go. I gave it all I had left, as the tank was running on E, and saw the clock flash 26:22 as I jumped up to hit the Finish sign.
It was a surreal experience. Running has now become a passion, just like skiing the slopes at various resorts in the winter time. This past week I ran 6 miles, and just entered another 5k scheduled for this weekend. I plan on being there, bald, and with my red Nike shoes. This company has a long history of helping people with injuries, get back on the road, and I am thankful to them. There's no doubt my legs will scream, my lungs will be pushed, and the cardio part will not be simple. Yet I shall finish the race, and am hoping that perhaps there will be smaller dogs this time to keep up the pace. For those who want to get into D.C. area running events, links shall soon be provided, as soon as I figure out how to place them here. That should be somewhere around the year 2015, and as this pic shows, it says "I'm done!" From Full Metal Jacket, "Let me see your war face!"
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