FatAss ... and proud of it.

When given the opportunity to participate in something called the FatAss 5K ... how can you say no? It meant road-tripping it to Springfield and hitting the street in search of corn dogs, beer, ice cream, beer, hot dogs, beer and pig roast. What's not to love?

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 The race is sponsored by the Springfield Rotary Club, and it benefits the town through their various charitable acts. So let me get this straight: I get to run, drink beer and eat junk food ... all in the name of charity? I'm IN!

We had a nice group for this one. Linda, Pam and I, plus Julie and Barb, represented the Saturday Morning Strength Training group. Pam's beau Jim came along, and we met up with my friends Biff and Amanda downstate. The festivities began with packet pickup the night before, after which Linda and I drove to Jacksonville (about 40 minutes away) which would be our home for the night. We stayed with Cindy Carlson Rice, my evil fake stepmother, and it made race weekend even more lovely.

Saturday morning we were up and at 'em, ready to run! This is one I'd like to do every year. It's not a serious race, more an opportunity to chill and enjoy the process.

And the beer.

Partners in Crime - me (in the back) plus Barb, Julie, Pam and Jim

Biff (almost out of frame), Amanda and me. 

Me and Linda.

Biff and Amanda.  

Linda, excited for a corn dog.

 

 The best post-race meal ever ... pig roast!



One Busy Weekend - edited to add tri results.

So a few weeks back - April 21 and 22 - I gave myself a ridiculous weekend. My first triathlon on Saturday, and a 5K on Sunday. Clearly, I have taken leave of my senses.

I'm not even sure what possessed me to do it, but there I was, wearing a bathing suit, in front of actual live people, prepared for a triathlon. 

Okay, it wasn't a real triathlon, but for me, it mattered. A group of us participated in the Lifetime Fitness Indoor Tri at Orland Park, and we had a blast. It's time based, rather than distance, you basically you have an hour of activity. They measure how far you go in the pool in 10 minutes; then (after you change out of your suit) you transition to a spin bike with an odometer on it, and that distance is measured over 30 minutes. Finally, you hit the treadmill for 20 minutes. You're scored against everyone else's distance and that's how you get results.

I, proudly, tied for last place. I am not the least bit embarrassed by that. In my 10-minute swim I reached 13.5 lengths of the pool; that's 337.5 meters. In 30 minutes on the bike I went 10.6 miles, and in 20 minutes on a treadmill I ran 1.43 miles. I consider that a success. (Stay tuned for more tri adventures; I'm doing SheRox in Naperville on June 10.)

 That's me, Meg and Linda, ready for the pool. I felt like a badass because I had marker on my arm.


Then Sunday brought the Healthy 5K in Hinsdale. Running a hilly course the day after the tri was a tactical error, but it was so worth it to be out running with my girlfriends. I finished in 41:44.2, an average 13:28 minute mile - still very slow by most people's standards, but for me, that was pretty good. Plus, we had breakfast afterward.

Shelly, Meg, Pam, Linda, Me, and Kristin - ready to run!



All in all, it was a great weekend. And the fact that it gave me the confidence to register for a triathlon? Yeah, that's pretty effing cool. Here's hoping I don't make a complete fool of myself, but even if I do ... well ... that's not a horrible thing.