52 Weeks, 52 Races - Race 3: 30th Annual FARC Winter Race Series 5K #3

This is becoming a common sight on Sunday mornings in 2013.

Go Indians!

My Waynesboro Football shirt soaked in sweat with a racing bib pinned to the front of it.  This photo was after Race 3 of 52: FARC NJ Winter Race Series #3.  I ran the first race but missed the second one because I overslept. 

Overslept and I missed out on race #3 of 52. I took @baconlb to The Turning Point - Westfield for breakfast.
— PoMiFoS (@PoMiFoS) January 13, 2013

Let me tell you, the Turning Point is definitely worth missing a 5K or two.  I had the Big Easy Benny - Eggs Benedict with a spicy New Orleans twist over cornbread instead of an English Muffin.  It's probably the exact opposite of a 5K or any other kind of physical activity.  If you need a delicious breakfast in New Jersey, you should visit one of the Turning Point's multiple locations.  I just wouldn't make a habit of it or you'll weight 300 lbs.  

With that thought, back to running...

PoMiFoS Race 3 got bumped back a week  from  FARC NJ Winter Race Series #2 to FARC NJ Winter Race Series #3.  The day of Race 3 was a beautiful, warm and sunny January day with a high in the 50s.  It was the nicest day of the year and the run was much more crowded than the previous race I attended.  And resplendent in a bright, yellow t-shirt was the man quickly becoming my nemesis...  

The Goober!

Say your prayers and take your vitamins!

And the race was on...
And that son of a bitch beat me again!  He was definitely having an off day because I swear to God I saw him walk at one point but he was not off enough for me to beat him.  This 'rivalry' is becoming decidedly one-sided.  Maybe he is saying his prayers and taking his vitamins better than me.  Maybe I'm just slow.  Whatever the cause, he's beaten me all 3 runs this year.
At least I have 3 done!
I only have 49 to go!
Sunday will be frigid...
Race 4 may be much more difficult...

52 Weeks, 52 Races - Race 2: 30th Annual FARC Winter Race Series 5K #1

Oooh, look kids, a blog named Pics of Me in Front of Stuff without pictures of the author in front of anything.

But I am glad you're here since I let my doman name lapse and now picsofmeinfrontofstuff.com is some kind of adult website.  I could purchase the domain name again...for $69...

My blogging problems aside, I did manage to squeeze a second race out of my busy social calendar and  tired feet.  The Freehold Area Running Club (FARC) sponsors the Winter Race Series 5K in Michael J. Tighe Park the first 5 weeks of the year.  

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I was impressed it was the 30th annual such series.  Interesting fact: FARC is also a Colombian Marxist-Leninist revolutionary guerilla organization.  The Freehold FARC is a much less politically extreme group.  Given Freehold FARC Winter Race Series 5K's regularity (weekly), vicinity (30 minute drive), relatively late start time (10 AM) and low price ($5) the pros greatly outweighed the cons (lack of t-shirt).  January 6th was also significantly improved over January 1st because there I was not suffering from nausea, cold sweats, or headaches from any NYE festivities.   The race itself was rather ordinary, just 2 loops of varying length around the park.  I assumed most of the runners were members of the club or fellow New Years Resolutioners.  There was one other participant from the Hangover 5K.  He was easy to pick out because the best description for him I could use was a loud goober.  Think long blonde hair, thinning on top with a blonde mustache (think natural blonde, unathletic Hulk Hogan) speaking in a manner I associate with Lenny from Of Mice and Men and the Abominable Snowman from Looney Tunes.  

I'm going to run a 5K, George.  I'm going to run it and finish it and drink some Gatorade at the end, George.

Baconlb and I had both noticed him at the Hangover 5K and I texted her immediately upon arrival at Michael J. Tighe Park to tell her I had seen the Goober.  She warned me to keep a safe distance from him because he had crossed the finished line dripping with sweat (not unlike me), spitting (very unlike me), and with a mustache full of snot (completely unlike me).  Naturally about halfway through the 5K, I caught up to him.  I tried to pull away him to avoid his 'splash' zone but damned if he didn't keep pace...and then pass me and pull away during the last half mile.

Great,  the Goober beat me.  I am slower than out-of-shape Hulk Hogan. 

Whatcha gonna do, BROTHER, when the Goober goes running by you?!  

According to Baconlb he finished way ahead of me at the Hangover 5K as well.  Even though I subtracted ~ 2 minutes off of my time from Race 1 to Race 2 the Goober still smoked me.
Son of a Bitch.
I guess I need to get my ass on the treadmill.

52 Weeks, 52 Races - Race 1: CJRRC Hangover 5K - Tamaques Park - Westfield, NJ

I've been known to make goals that may or may not be feasible, possible, or even plausible.  I like to think big, but sometimes I think too big, spread myself too thin, and accomplish nothing.  You may or not may not have seen my goals for 2011.  That was good sport, but words are wind.
Yes, I love A Song of Fire and Ice, so what?!
This year's big, hairy audacious goal (BHAG)  is to run 52 races of any length and type though probably predominantly 5Ks in 52 weeks.  That's 52 races in a year for those of you who can't do the conversion. Given the time it takes to run a race and the cost to run then, I feel it's a pretty big, hairy, and audacious.  Let's not forget the first 12 weeks and the last 4 weeks tend to be rather cold, there are usually a number of mercilessly hot ones even in NJ.  Let's also not forget that I work full time and I'm also working on my PhD in chemistry.  I have a lot on my plate and running is just filling it up more.
So if this was to happen at all, it had to start early.  I could think of no earlier time than noon on New Year's Day.  Well, I guess I could have done one of those midnight runs but I planned on keeping my streak of inebriated NYE's intact.  It stretches back at least 10 year's now and I don't plan on ending it.  Luckily, Baconlb is the best girlfriend a blogger/runner/chemist/PhD student could have and she was more than willing to watch me punish myself at noon on New Year's Day.  She was both more sober than me and not committed to running anything.
She had planned a surprise birthday party for my 31st birthday at the Westfield 5 mile Turkey Trot in the same location.  

SURPRISE!

Look at all of those candles!

The picture was actually taken at The Office in Westfield following the race, but it was still my birthday and the best birthday party I have ever had so I'm going to include it.  This is my blog and I do what I want.

Here's me feeding Don because I wanted to.

Both the Turkey Trot and the Hangover 5K guided us through the area surrounding Tamaques Reservation in Westfield, NJ.


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Westfield is where the rich folks live in Union County.  Several of my real world job bosses live in Westfield.  I don't live in Westfield but I aspire to.  In regards to the running, both races started with what I am estimating to be 0.75 mile loop around the park about one and a half times.  During the beginning of both times I wondered to myself if we would only be doing laps around the park.  We did not.  The courses wound their way through the lovely suburban neighborhoods.  During both runs, I passed someone who had been injured and was lying on the ground while they were attended to by event staff.  Both times I wore the same Waynesboro Football T-Shirt. (The coaching staff are Friends of PoMiFoS. I was invited to join the staff as 'Mental Toughness' Coach.  The commute was too long so I had to decline.)

Go Indians!

The big Asian guy and the drum stick head band were only at the Turkey Trot.  Note the special number Baconlb got me for the race on my 31st birthday!
Overall, I enjoyed running around the Tamaques Reservation area.  Like most of Central NJ, the area is pretty flat which allows for quick times.  I felt pretty good about my time considering the circumstances for both runs.  The Turkey Trot was one of the longer runs I had attempted since the Tough Mudder more than a month prior.  The Hangover 5K featured me with a hangover.  While Baconlb waited for me at the finish line she heard about someone having trouble along the side of the course.  She assumed it was me vomiting.  Given the cold sweats and headache I had during the drive I can't blame her.  The Hangover 5K was just one tiny step this year.  Hopefully it continues with 51 more!

I'm the big gray blob that appears to be waving