Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine.

Authors note: All times are approximate, and should be considered not quite on
5:00 AM:
Laying in my incredibly comfortable bed in our hotel room, I wonder what time PJ has set our alarm for. I don't sleep well in hotels, so every few hours or so I woke up. I kept thinking how crappy running the next day would be on such little sleep, but I tried to get as much as possible. We were told to be at the shuttle earlier rather than later, and we like to be early to things. PJ's company had a picture taking at 7, and the race started at 7:30.
5:30 AM:
The alarm clock goes off and I'm wide awake. We get up and get ready, finishing at about 6:05. On the way out the door, I wonder if I should grab the banana to eat. Since my stomach had been acting sorta shady that week, I decided not to bring it. I didn't want to be sick before or during the race.
6:15 AM
We arrive at Liberty Park and there are already a bunch of people there. It's a little windy, but not too cold, which is good for the run. We stretch it out, and hang out for a while, eventually running into PJ's co-workers. As they're taking their picture, I'm invited it. I accept the invitation, and hop in. I'm beginning to regret not grabbing the banana, as I'm starting to get hungry. I look around for some fruit, forlornly, as I notice a lot of people are eating Pop Tarts. What an odd choice before a race.
7:25 AM
Standing in the chute before the race and getting some anxiety as the final minutes count down. The music they're playing over the huge speakers is all old stuff, so I shake my booty waiting for the countdown. I notice there's some idiot dressed completely in a Spider-Man costume. How will that be fun to run in?
7:30-8:ish AM
As we begin the run, we're going at a good pace. There's a lot of people running-afterwards I think I read there are 2002 (that number might not be accurate, I'm still checking facts), and starting out, we were near the beginning. The wind has died way down, to just be a light breeze. We are passed by a guy running and juggling-what a talent! Good for him. Spider-Man passes us, puffing really hard. I think it was hard for him to breathe through his mask. After passing us, he runs 10 more feet and starts walking. We pass him. As we near the end, I'm getting tired. Keeping up our pace is hard, but I feel good about it. We turn the last corner, and its at the Gateway. Since the race ends at the fountain, I know we still have a little to go before the finish line. I see the finish line, and we decide to sprint it out to the end. I take off as fast as I can, and I know PJ is right there with me. Crossing the finish line, we're pretty neck in neck. Its only when we look at the results later that we know what happened, and....I won!!!!! Ran it in 28:51, which beats my last race time by about a minute and a half. My placing in the race was 706 out of 2002-which isn't bad. It's in the top half! PJ ran hers in 28:51 and got 709th place. Yeah, still not sure how that happened, us finishing at the same time and placing so far apart, but I'm holding onto this victory like you wouldn't believe. Now we need to have another race, to see who the ultimate champion is-since we've both won a race.
Now that all is said and done, everything was fun. The race was good. The best part about these races is all the swag you get. Afterwards, you get all the fruit and water you want, plus we got some trail mix, a free shirt, and oodles of coupons that I'll probably never use. For some reason, after this race, they had hot dogs and pizza there. Like after you run, you're gonna want to eat some greasy food. But there was a lot of people walking around with plates full of that stuff, so I guess some did! We hung out at the 4Life tent for a while, guarding the food that was there for the 4Life employees. Even though I'm not one, I was able to snag myself an apple and a Propel. Yeah, I used my connections to my own gain, I'm not ashamed to admit. Then, another picture of PJ and her peeps-and again I was invited in. I bet some people will look at these pictures and go, 'who the bleep is that?' But at least the big one is over-the big one, the one we wanted to prove ourselves in. I'm just glad its done with-and look forward to the next one!