Spring rain menaces two races to help brains

Today was supposed to have been a somewhat historic occasion. I've gone walking in the park with my parents before, and I laced up my Sauconys to run with my sister in a 5K back in November. But the four of us have never been out on the same course at the same time. It's too bad that this still hasn't happened yet.

We were all registered for the Steps for Students 5K near downtown Houston, but I awoke this morning to the percussive rumbling of a line of strong thunderstorms that swiped through the metro area. We drove down to the event site, and the absence of street closures was the sure giveaway that the organizers had given up. As consolation, we warmed ourselves up with jasmine tea and dined on some delicious red snapper at a Thai restaurant for lunch, so all was well.

(Scheduling note: As I was collecting our race T-shirts (hey, they were paid for!), the woman behind the registration table mentioned that the Greater Houston Prostate Cancer Run/Walk 5K (also an out-and-back on Memorial Drive) will be moving from November to June. That's right, the Dad's Day 5K is returning to its calendar slot near Father's Day, as well as taking back its former name. I remember that they reasoned that participation would increase with a "cooler" date in 2006, but apparently ditching the Father's Day connection was a failed experiment.)

Well, this marks the second weekend in a row where rain has shown up at a 5K I wanted to run. Last Saturday's inaugural Stride 4 Stroke had small showers popping up during the run, but not enough to wipe out the event outright. Now, lightning, and tornado threats will scare me from running outside, but standard-issue rain never has. In fact, I think it helps me run faster. (My engine's water-cooled, man.)

I would definitely consider doing the S4S event again. The setting is nice, especially with the after-race hoopla situated right on the turf of Rice Stadium. In addition, it's a dogs-welcome, strollers-welcome event, and who doesn't like seeing pets and kids out enjoying themselves? The water stations were handing out half-liter bottles instead of little cups, which is another sign that they had walkers in mind instead of hardcore runners. I hope there's always room in the world of running for events that can cater to both the serious competitors and the ordinary joggers like me, who find that a freshly grilled hamburger at 9 a.m. is enough motivation to hustle back to the finish line.

Event: Stride 4 Stroke 5K (24 March 2007)
Location: Rice University, Houston
Result: 29:51 (Garmin Forerunner 101)
Benefits: Methodist Hospital System's stroke awareness campaign

Event: Steps for Students 5K (31 March 2007)
Location: St. Joseph Catholic Church, Houston
Result: cancelled due to weather
Benefits: Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

First Steps

There's no escaping the truth: The overwhelming majority of weblog sites are exercises in self-indulgence, and this one will probably be no different, OK?

Fair warning: In this blog, one of the topics upon which I'll be prattling frequently will be running. Running around is something almost all of us did as kids. We'd run around, ride our bikes, and collect frogs. It's a shame that only two of those three are still socially acceptable in adulthood, isn't it? But somewhere along the way, I stopped doing all three.

My original reasoning for returning to running as an adult is a common one -- weight control and fitness. (Surprisingly, years spent in front of a computer keyboard don't result in washboard abs. Who knew?) On Thanksgiving weekend 2004, I jumped into a touch football game. After a few minutes of "getting burned" repeatedly on pass coverage, I was seated on a curb with my head down, with the wind knocked out of me -- except I hadn't actually run into anything. That was the low point, when I realized exactly how far out of shape I was.

By early 2005, my mind had reached the "tipping point" where I was determined to never again feel the way I did while on that curb. I had already started eating better, but I hadn't really started on the exercise part of the equation yet. I am an Astros fan, and each year the team hosts a 5K run/walk event at Minute Maid Park. If I recall correctly I saw an ad for the 5K online, and I suddenly found a concrete goal.

For several weeks in the winter and spring, I put in a lot of walking, and eventually got to the point where I was mixing in short (minute-long at best) jogs. When Memorial Day weekend 2005 arrived, so did the Astros Race for the Pennant 5K. I remember coming to the end of that distance, and entering the stadium with the finish clock reading 46 minutes and change. Looking back today, I can laugh at how utterly exhausted I was after just "shuffling briskly" for 3 miles. And thus a new page in my life began.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I see a frog outside....

. . . but not Carter, Lombardi, McMahon, Neil, Vaughn, or Young

So, one day I woke up and thought this blogging thing might be fun to try. Really.

If I have my way, "CurrentlyVince" will become a place for me to vent frustration, question aloud (if HTML could speak), or just be a verbal playground for whatever's on the mind of this wordsmith-wannabe.

Allow me to introduce you to who I'm not: I'm not a figureskating saxaphone player who breaks cryptography during commercial breaks. I am not a former teen gang member turned llama-riding pastry chef. I don't fight fires, cancer, or city hall. I have never appeared on Oprah, and certainly not to discuss my experiences as first runnerup in the Miss America pageant. When I click my heels together, I can't even tap out the songs of Kansas the band, never mind find myself transported to Kansas the state. I'm fairly certain that I didn't earn your vote in the last Presidential election. I'm neither the butcher, the baker, nor even the candlestick maker.

So who the heck am I? Well, honestly, I still ask myself that very question daily. I might start answering this with post two.