Pre-race Gitters?

So the Gladiator Rock 'n Run is finally here. I'm feeling a little apprehensive about it. First of all, two of the guys on my team have dropped out. Well, one is a confirmed no-show, but the other is MIA. Personally, I'm gonna participate at pretty much all costs. The actual costs are $70. Which makes it an event I'm not going to back out of without a strong excuse. I don't want to miss the event as much as I don't want to waste $70.

This is where I list my excuses. I haven't actually run in a month. I did plan on doing some sort of training for this event. But as of today, I'm actually in worse shape than normal. Why? I bruised and cut open my leg while practicing skating three weeks ago. That took me out of any running for a week. I did some stationary bike, but nothing serious. The week after that I slipped on some rocks by the ocean while on vacation, bruising the sole of my foot pretty bad. My big toe and forefoot were purple the next day. This took me out of action even more than the skating incident, as it was painful to just walk around. I've been sick the last 10 days. I got some sort of virus which got me to the doctor. That in itself is a testament to my commitment to this event, I hate going to the doctor. I got some antibiotics. Fortunately, I take the last one on race day. I still feel marginal, my foot is swollen each morning, and cardio wise I'm probably not up to the task.

All the more reason to make the event a little more challenging. I had mentioned at the start of this thing that going "business casual" would be a funny costume. Well, apparently the other guy and I are racing in costume. We are going with a Hangover inspired look. We got some tribal temporary tattoos at the local Spencers. We are going with face tattoos, dress pants and dress shirts. This may not be such a great idea once the pants are wet and muddy. Nothing like hauling around heavy clothes for 3 miles! But I look at it this way. I'm not taking it seriously, obviously. We will have fun just getting through the course in these get-ups. It will be a little more of a challenge, I like a challenge.