Right Round, Baby
It has been a while since I have raced in a track meet. Ok, it has been 16 years. Four times around makes a mile, right? In the spirit of trying old & new things, I showed up last night to the Carpinteria All Comers track meet wearing a tangerine running skirt. Runner’s World had posted an article about the new femme running fashion and I figured bright orange would be a good casual start.
Five bucks entered me into any event of my choosing and I scratched my name next to the mile and the 5000 meters. Four loopedy-loops for a mile and twelve and a half for the 5K, gulp, that sounded painful. I popped a couple of electrolyte gummi’s, magic-maker-tattooed my dream splits to my forearm, and trotted off for a quick warm up that kept taking me by the bathroom. Call it nerves!
“Milers up!” instructed man on microphone. I hiked up my skirt, toed the line next to Terry Howell, and just when I realized what a treat that was…..”bam!” Everyone took off! Really fast! Oh yeah, it’s a mile. “Go-go!” said inner self. 5 minutes and 17 seconds later it was over. Ouchie, but surprisingly FUN!
Did the officials see me? “Oh yeah, we saw you,” man by time clock said, “Bright orange, kind of hard to miss.” So they noticed the skirt!
Electrolyte gummi things are not the best dinner. My stomach was very unhappy lining up for the 5K. “Twelve laps?” I asked.
“No, twelve and a half,” Ricky answered. I hoped to just follow Ricky around and somehow magically get to keep up with him. “Bam!” Boy, that gun sneaks up on me. Between counting laps, checking splits, tailing Ricky, and trying to breathe, I found a great challenge upon me. The laps ticked by faster than I thought they would especially since I mistakenly thought I was one ahead. John, fast dude, lapped me and I watched him run through the finish line for another lap. Why is he running an extra lap? “Oh no!” I realized miracles were not at work here. I was not going to run a 16:47 5K (dream on!). I was going to finish in 18:18. Yes, that makes more sense. Done.
I liked it. Track&Skirt. Good combo.
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