Monty’s Afterword

I’m trying to relive my high school years– a time when I could run a 5 minute mile. I hated running the mile, I preferred the 800M race. Two laps, that was it. It’s so much easier to keep track of where you are in your race when you only go two laps.

But of all things related to running, cross country was my favorite sport and this Thanksgiving I relived some of those skinny-little-teenager days when I convinced myself running a 5k race (3.1 mi.) would be a great way to kick off Turkey Day. This last Thursday also marked the beginning of week 7 of my return to running after a 7 year hiatus from consistent exercise. And, the results are in… I’m slow. But, I beat my goal of 27 minutes with an unofficial 26:37 time on my watch. The official race clock had me at 31:54 (323rd place, overall). That’s quite a discrepancy between my watch and the race clock. Honestly, I find it hard to believe. It was a slow start with over 1,800 participants. In fact, I remember walking the first 100 meters as the road was packed. The next mile was a blur as I was preoccupied dodging walkers, joggers (which I guess would be considered me as well) and baby carriages– lots of baby carriages. Yes, the first mile was spent trying not to collide with anyone or anything off the paved road at which I frequently jumped in and out of to position myself. There was no fast lane.

Anyhow, I just wanted to share my little accomplishment. If you want more info check out the Run for Food website. The Run for Food 5k race is a fund raiser for the Jesus Center which helps Chico’s homeless population. The event raised over an estimated $60,000, a much bigger accomplishment worth a mention. Read more at the Chico Enterprise Record.