Pope John XXIII Fun Run

80 percent of success is just showing up.

-- Woody Allen

I admit it: As much as "winning isn't everything," bringing home the hardware from a race certainly feels like something. In previous years the fundraiser at Pope John XXIII High School has sent me home with two 3rd-place and one 2nd-place medals. Yes, I've never seen more than fifty show up for this race, but there really should be more. Katy, Texas has an active running community, online registration was just $20, and the 5K course is almost totally off the pavement in gentler-on-the-legs crosscountry style. The school may be missing out on marketing opportunities to promote the event.

After lining up behind a chalk line in the sand, the president of the booster club squeezed the trigger on the starter pistol to begin the 2011 fun run and we were bounding off into the trails hugging Mason Creek. For most of the run, I was staying on the tail of a tall, gray-haired man I referred to internally as Balding Blue Shorts. I kept my mind occupied with meditations on the citric acid cycle firing off furiously in my cells, with periodic self-reminders to keep my posture straight and my turnover rate high.

With less than a half mile to go, my oxygen debt was being met with IOUs as worthless as Japanese peso notes. I had to walk to catch my breath, and while Balding Blue Shorts left me back, I was more alarmed to get passed by another man I'm calling Ballcap Blue Shorts. Ballcap Blue Shorts looked younger and I knew that I'd be disappointed if saw him beat me out for an age group award. As much as I wanted to pick up the pursuit, though, I was depleted and couldn't catch him.

On the 50-yard line of the football field, I entered the finish chute and received a nice medal for participation. (Isn't that cute?) When the results were announced later, it was a huge surprise to find out that not only was Ballcap Blue Shorts not in my age group, but that I had actually won my age group -- the first time that's ever happened to me! To place this surprise in perspective, three years ago I finished the course more than five minutes faster, setting a 5K PR, and it was only good enough for an AG third-place that day.

So now I've come home with two more medals, which will look superb with the others hung on the tree when the holiday season returns.

One final detail to close this post: Katy is home to the corporate headquarters of Igloo, and the company supplied the coolest "bags" I've ever seen at a packet pickup. With enough capacity to hold up to 12 cans of my precious Coke Zero (after Lent is over), I have a new roomy tote for bringing lunch to work.

The weather was completely perfect for this morning's run -- sunny, temps in the 50s with moderate humidity. May all you Gentle Readers -- rulers of all the flatscreen estate you survey -- have a brilliant spring weekend wherever it takes you.

The Splits....

Mile 1: 10:33

Mile 2: 10:08

Mile 3: 11:23

5K time: 32:33 per Garmin Forerunner 205

Result: 1st Place, men 30-39