4 DAYS TILL THE RACE-
I apologize for the length of this one, but I promise you it's well worth the Read.
I went out yesterday for another 5K training Run and this one will go down as by far the most Memorable of all my Training Days. I started off doing a few light wind sprints before starting my run in hope to avoid early cramping/fatigue. I must say that it definitely worked nicely. Helped me get into a nice early groove already feeling warmed up. Then everything took a very Weird turn.
As I crossed through a park it turns into a Bike/Pedestrian path. Here is where my half way point is and as I was turning around to head back - BOOM~! Huge Collision with a Cyclist. Not just some random dude out for a casual bike ride to work. This guy was decked out in total cycling nerd training gear. He nearly fell off his bike and I tumbled into the grass along the path. For whatever reason instead of just getting up right away I decided to whip off 5 pushups, spring to my feet, 'Mean Mugged' the dude and carried on with my run. The look on his face was filled with complete bewilderment.
Another major Learning lesson when it comes to outdoor jogging. The streets can be a tough and dangerous playground. When your jogging in a direction and your about to turn around, a useful tip - Check behind you for any sort of on coming Nerd Cyclists that have utter disregard for their fellow Jogger. This story gets worse or Perhaps cooler depending on your outlook.
As I carry on with my jog I start to pick up the terrible scent of Dog Poop. I realize upon my stumble into the grass my hand landed in Dog Shit. I proceeded to run out the final 2.5 Km's with that on my hand. Perhaps this would have been a factor that would have caused me to Mentally breakdown and stop running in earlier training days. But not today. Not this week. This week is Race Week. The competitive juices are now completely flowing through my veins. Perhaps during the collision with that Bike Enthusiast it woke the sleeping dragon that lies inside me.
I was cramping up down the final 300 Meters and my pace slowed. All of a sudden a Jogger in his mid to late 30's wearing all the Nerd Jogging Gear (including the shortest shorts I have ever seen) Jogged at a steady pace right by me. Now this is something that has occasionally happened throughout my training days and something that always secretly bothered me but due to my lack of Cardio I could do nothing about it. But on this particular day, with my hand covered in Dog Manure and still cursing the damn Cyclist that hit me I would no longer allow this sort of disrespect (I realize simply jogging by someone else that is going at a very slow rate is hardly disrespect but its hard for me not to view it like that. Especially when they have those damn short shorts and full Jogging attire. I feel like they are saying "Hey Pal, nice Baggy Sweat pants and generic Nike running shoes. These are our streets, and we set out here every morning experiencing a Runner's High that you know nothing about".
Now I may have yet to Experience this Runner's High and perhaps I never will. But I will tell you this, I pushed my body like never before with a surge of Adrenaline I sprinted by that Jogging Douche all the way down the final 300 Meters. I could feel him gaining on me as if accepting my challenge of a race (in retrospect I don't think he changed his pace at all) and as I crossed the spot where I began my 5Km run, I outstretched my arms and chest as if I was crossing an imaginary finish line. I pumped my fist in the air in Victory. The look on his face was that of complete bewilderment. The very same look the Speed Nazi Cyclist game me earlier.
After nearly 30 days of Training, I'm taking the streets back. I'm setting the tone for Sunday (Race Day). For all the people out there that despise the act of jogging. I will finish this race in a time under 25 minutes and I'm doing it to stick it to the following-
Joggers that have passed me by while I'm out on my Run and question my Jogging Attire with their Judgemental eyes
The Cyclist That Hit Me
And Lastly the biggest Asshole of them All - Cancer
FINAL GRADE - BADASS (yeah that's right, I just gave myself a grade called Badass. And no, I don't even know what that means)
Also should be noted, I have no idea what my time was for the 5K, at the time of the Collision my Ipod came detached from my headphones causing my time to stop. But I like to think it was my best time to date. When you have Dog Poop on your hand it will cause you to run just a bit faster in hopes you can wash it off as soon as damn possible.
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