Run, quotidians, run!

Looking for another sign of the coming apocalypse? Or are you looking for something to make you chuckle a bit? Either way, this post should satisfy you.

On Saturday May 26th, we are running in a 5k. In Richmond. Really early in the morning. And we chose to pay to do this.

And it's a real race, with organizers and water people lining the sides and everything. It evens comes with a free t-shirt for your donation of $15. We're running to support the Autism Society of America. Because I'm new to this whole running thing, I'm not really sure why we have to drive to Richmond to pay to run really early on a Saturday, but I'm sure I'll get an answer to that one day.

It's only a 5K, but that's 3.1 miles here in America. And that, my friends, is farther than either of us has run intentionally in a while. And by a while I mean a long time.

Now for some of you, 3.1miles is nothing, something that you do as you warm up for the 'real' run. For others, 3.1 miles is something that makes you think that running is something that 'other' people do, people who are fitness buffs and who wear those funny windy shorts. Unfortunately for me, I find ourselves solidly in between these two camps, in sort of a runners' purgatory or no man's land. For me right now I think running as something that other people do [ironically I often feel like this when I'm running], and yet I feel like we're getting better and better and working ourselves up to something bigger. It's somewhat fun to be in the center between the two extremes [filtered water on this side, Coke on that; protein smoothies with whey powder here, Blizzards on the other; five apples to the left, Five Guys to the right] but it's somewhat lacking a real position or definition. It's a lot like politics in this way.

Right now I feel comfortable only using the verb but not the noun. We run, but we're not 'runners;' at least not yet. Maybe one day we will be 'runners,' and then again this could prove to be just another fad, like flannel shirts or Jessica Simpson.

The training has been good and actually encouraging. We run longer and farther each week. We are of course in no danger to break any records or anything. Our goal for the race is fairly simple: to finish. I like to think that this allows a great bit of freedom in the results, but the Mrs. C is hoping for a respectable and solid finish. Something about finishing withing the 45 minute time limit, which sounds doable until you, you know, have to do it.

We're no Sunday Runners, but maybe one day we will be.

By the way, best reaction so far at this news:

"Really? Well, I never really thought....um...that's great. My son, the jogger. Well, I'm sure you'll be fine."

This little piece of encouragement was of course delivered by none other than my mom. Happy Mother's Day.