The magic of 5K's

[cabezon]

tonight my wife and I ran the Richard's Run for life 5K. well, she ran, I kinda jogged along side her. It was her first race, and I wanted to make sure she enjoyed it. I can PR next time.

It was a perfect night for a race. Race start was 6:30 and this is Florida, so it was still light out and the temperature was probably 70 degrees. out of the 1000 or so runners, I saw half a dozen friends.

The course was a fast loop around Y'bor City, the drunk Disneyland of Tampa. But at this time of day, it is still a historic district, with a Cuban flair. the course was fast with some slight ups and downs. I mean slight, but for a Floridian, noticeable. the early corner was a little tight with all the starting runners, but then it was mostly straight with two hairpin lefts, creating a big neon V. that gave us two views of the Kamikaze leaders (the winner finished in 16 minutes, I was just off that) This was a little easier than my usual out and back that I run in may, with a significant uphill ending.

the main draw however, was the post race. There was food from the Sponsoring restaurant the Columbia, a Tampa landmark; Also new chain Moe's and local spot Cha Cha Coconuts, filled in the menu with Burritos and Mango Chicken respectively. The Columbia is famous for its 1905 salad, so named for the year the Columbia opened. They also brought black beans and white rice, a Cuban staple that is now a staple in my diet. finally, Paella was on the menu. It is a delicious mixture of yellow rice, with peas and carrots, smothered in a mix of seafood and chicken tenderloins. I would have run barefoot for this dish. real scallops, Mussels in the shells along with clams and of course all smothered in a decadent sauce. Perfect for a post-race reward. Also, there was plenty of water and Gatorade. For those of the tippling type, there were beer and wine rewards as well.

Despite the nausea that my wife felt running, the scent of the food calmed her stomach enough so that she could enjoy her well earned meal. Nights like this are what turn joggers into runners. And best of all it was announced that $50K was raised for the charity. Win/win/win.