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.