Jingle Bell 5k

…I just got passed by an Oompa Loompa.

It looks like winter has finally arrived here in Eugene. I woke this morning to snow falling outside my window. For some twisted reason that still escapes me, the realization that I would soon be running a 5k race in all of that got me excited.

The hilltops surrounding Eugene were dusted in white, but the falling snow quickly turned to slush leaving everything downtown wet, slippery, and cold. Hazardous running conditions at best.

One of the hazards of turning a hobby like art into a profession is that you can lose the joy that originally attracted you to it in the first place.

This past week I got to show some of my art to a friend who was unfamiliar with it. Watching the way they reacted to different aspects of the images, what they responded to and what held their attention was unexpectedly motivating.

Feeling motivated, I laced up and headed out for the 5k. The race location was less than two miles from my door, so jogging to the event gave me a chance to warm up. And that paid off.

By the time the race started I was mostly ready and the weather had even improved a little. No slippery spots to be found, just lots of wet everywhere.

I hadn’t planned on really pushing myself due to a muscle strain on my left leg, but reaching the mile #1 marker I realized I was running a 6:45 pace and was feeling pretty strong, so I pushed on through mile two at about the same speed.

Mile three was looking even better and I kicked up my pace a little bit  …then I got passed by an Oompa Loompa.

Not sure if it was the second guessing my own sanity, my frozen toes, or just running out of steam, but that sort of took me off my game. So I dialed it back a bit and regained my composure for the final stretch.

I turned in about the performance as my recent Turkey Stuffer run, 21 minutes and change, and felt pretty good. The walk home in the cold wind while covered in sweat was another matter altogether.

Snow is expected in the valley floor by tomorrow. That should make for an interesting Sunday run. Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-do!