July 26, 2005
Run Hit Wonder Race Report 
I was rather cavalier in preparing. No body glide. No sunscreen. Though I did wash my feet and wear my wrightsocks. I got downtown about 40 minutes before the race will start, and already there is a sea of orange. Orange everywhere you look. I go to the coffee shop where I'm supposed to meet up with some coworkers, and there's Mela. She's looking for someone she's supposed to meet, too.
Unlike last year, the whole lining up at the start line is a big mess. There are all these gates up, so you can't cross streets, and so no one can get where they need to go. But somehow, the race starts. And some time later, we cross the start line.
The first band is immediately after the start—the Donnas. I manage to hear their last 2 or 3 songs (they only play a 25 minute set!). We dance like crazy, then head on down the road.
I spot a TV camera and shout, Free Katie! So the anchor/journalist/pretty face decides to interview me. I think it was for a latin american network as we had a some language difficulties. If you happen to see my fat ass on TV, please let me know!
We head down Salmon Street, a slight downhill. There's a guy at the side of the road with a Run, Run, Run!!! Live Stong sign. No, I didn't mistype that, that's what it said!
We make the turn onto Naito. Nina Sky is playing, I continue on. Not my style. We turn onto "Marathon Drive", a street that is included in each and every downtown race, and then up Glisan. In the park blocks, I stop for Fountains of Wayne. I'm shocked to see they're all in their 40s. Something about this creeps me out. So when someone asks for their hit, and they reply, if you were in better shape, you would have heard us play it, I move on. Quickly.
Pass the Chingy stage. S/he is long gone. Amble by a water stop and recognize the water offerer as a local restaurant owner/chef. I stop and chat with him for a few minutes—I had had some of his buttermilk fried chicken a couple of days before, and it was good—rivaling my own.
Then, I approach the Aquabats stage. The Aquabats are still playing!?! How is this possible? Why is g-d so kind? Oh, they say something from the stage about how they can't get off the stage until the last person comes through. So I stop and dance.
Mind you, I don't know the Aquabats from Adam, but I already love their silliness. They're all dressed in matching outfits, wearing belts with a cartoon superhero.
To my left is a couple with a baby in a jogging stroller, and the male half squats to give the infant a bottle. Suddenly, the Aquabats singer begins making up a song about the baby drinking her lunch, and the band falls in behind, and they continue singing about the baby, and I am beside myself with joy. Dude, how cool is this?!
After several minutes of this song, the couple with baby move on... and I'm the only one left. Me and the photographer. All of the sudden, one of the guys on stage yells "Cops! It's a riot! You better get going..." And I look behind me, and there are the cops, the cops that are following the last person. Who would be me. And they obviously aren't interested in watching me dance to another Aquabats song. Oh!
So I wave goodbye, and suddenly the guys on stage are yelling, hey, you're the best! You're a winner! Let's give you a shirt! I, of course, doubleback for that, but in fact, they have no more shirts. So they offer me towels. And bottles of water. Nah! But I'm grinning ear to ear.
Now, I'm DFL, and I need to change that. I have a little more than 2 miles to go, so I pour on the speed. Except I'm tired and my legs don't want to go. Go anyways! And I do.
I am so ready to be done when I hit the finish line. It's rather cruel—there's a downhill, then an uphill to cross it. Then you have to walk a block to get your medal, another block to lose your chip, and yet another block to get some fruit. But Mela is there, waiting for me. Oh my g-d, the best friend evar! We stop into the Joan Jett concert, and we're both in that post race stupor. We go get some breakfast and suddenly, the water is the best water Evar! And this is the best pancake evar! And Mela's car? The best car evar! The best AC evar! And the nap afterwards? Well, you know.
I'm pretty happy with my time. When you consider that my best 10K time is 1:30:50, and that I probably spent 10 minutes each at the Donnas, Fountains of Wayne, and the Aquabats, well, I did pretty damn good.
Time: 1:54:15
Pace: 18:23
Age: 275 / 276
Place Overall: 4523 /4534
Sex Overall: 2479 /2490
Posted at July 26, 2005
Comments
Great photos. Wonderful race report. You obviously had a great time:)
Posted by: susan at July 26, 2005 2:41 PM
Sounds like so much fun! Thanks for the report and congrats.
Posted by: Liz at July 26, 2005 5:34 PM
Wow - that sounds like so much fun!!!
Posted by: neca at July 27, 2005 4:48 AM
Yay! This sounds like such a fun race. And the Aquabats? I think I'm in love. Thanks for the great report!
Posted by: d.o.c. at July 27, 2005 5:41 AM
Why do I race at the races?...that Aquabats thing just sounded like too much fun. (And nice pix of yourself in the window by the LiveStrong guy.) And your spelling of "ever" really stinks! And I suppose you'll say this is "the most annoying comment EVAR!"
Posted by: Scooter at July 27, 2005 7:44 AM
Wow; great report! I ran it last year, and had fun (despite tired legs, a slow time, and the fact that they gave my shirt away to someone else, so I had to get one that was too big). Looks like this year was even better with orange shirts and the Donnas.
Posted by: Tricia at July 27, 2005 8:27 AM
Wow, that sounds like so much fun! I need to get my butt in gear and go out for an event like that!
Posted by: Cheesepuppet at July 27, 2005 7:47 PM
Yea, VJ! Great race and I love the pics too. Dawn would have had to go and take butt shots of those cops (its her thing). Looks like a fun race, although wow, I'd be dying having to walk that far at the end. Love that big grin in you pic! :)
Posted by: Jon in Michigan at July 29, 2005 4:21 PM