The bad news is that I forgot to put on deodorant..

..the good news is that it was so cold and rainy that it hardly mattered..
Yes, indeed, the weather did not really cooperate for the annual running of the Cherry Blossom 10 mile run...but I was there: shorts, jacket, and poncho, squishing through the mud toward the start, surrounded by what sounded like the hardest-core athletes in the world. As I'm still sleepwalking at 6:50am, to my left a way-too-awake couple is vigorously discussing the pros and cons of training with running clubs versus having an individual plan... I'm way far removed from such lofty conversation, although I do contemplate whether, in such water-logged ground, the porta-potties (Royal Flush!) :) are prone to tipping over when the mud gives out...The rain stops just about when the race starts, lulling everybody (not me!) into a false sense of "let's strip down to the tiny shorts and tank tops!" Mile 3. Drizzle. Not bad: actually felt a little refreshing. Mile 5. Somewhere between a drizzle and a downpour. Mile 8, heading back up the Memorial Bridge, with the wind in our faces: downpour. And, to top of a nice flat course: a finish uphill! Waterlogged but happy to be done, I decisively throw the hood on my head (was too tired to pull it up while I was running), and promptly dump all the accumulated water over the last 7 miles onto my head. Nice.

Updated: Results are out! 1 hour, 43 minutes, 36 seconds: a whole minute and 10 seconds better than last year :) If I keep this up, I will will the race in.. 50 years! Wahoo!

http://www.cherryblossom.org/

(If you are checking the results list, my last name didn't quite make it intact in the registration process, but VLADKONA ran under bib number 13307 :)