Flashes of Panic

In today’s mail I found an application for yet another race I’m not in shape to run. It’s a relatively unremarkable small-town 5K which I chose to run two years ago (in my last good racing season) for two reasons: a friend teaches in the school district it benefits, and one of their schools has my name. And I happened to be looking for a race that weekend. (This weekend: it’s coming up on Saturday.)

They wanted to comp my entry last year, which is nice because usually I get comped entries because of who I work(ed) for, not how well I ran there before, but I had to turn it down because of my damned foot. I wasn’t offered the free entry this year, but I won’t be able to run anyway, for the same reason.

Perhaps out of morbid curiosity, I checked the website, which is pretty well done for a small-town race, and discovered that despite introducing prize money three places deep in 2003 ($100-$50-$25,) they ran slower last year than I had. Further checking revealed that I actually hold the course record.

For $100, I don’t think that mark will last past Saturday, so I’m taking a screen shot now. The last time I held a course record it was because I won the first running of the race (the “…and a bat” race) and I think that one only lasted two years, as well.

I’m a little disappointed that they weren’t offering that prize money the year I ran. But maybe I have the moral high ground; I can say, my motives were pure, I did it just for the faux-metal trophy.

Now playing: Ride from Dandys Rule OK by The Dandy Warhols