84, 84, 84, 84, 84, 84, 84...

I ran a 10k yesterday at Northeastern University's Spring Open track meet. I hadn't run a 10k on the track since college: yikes! In past years, the 10k at this meet has been co-ed, so I thought it'd be fun to run with the guys. About 15 minutes before the start of the race, however, the officials decided there were too many people entered so they'd have to split it into separate guys and gals races. I was a little peaved because I'd already warmed up and was ready to go. So I sat around, watched the guys start, and warmed up again.

In the meantime, Scott and Bruce wandered around the track. Bruce learned to say "race," pronounced more like "wace," and repeated that over and over again. He also chimed in with his regular chant of "go go go go mommy" during my race.

My race began and I took the lead from the start. I don't normally like doing that, but I wanted to race to break 35 minutes so I knew I had to stay right on pace. So I did. 84 seconds per lap. For 25 laps. It was a long race, but I really really wanted a personal record (my previous best was 35:01, which is forever slower than 34:59 to me). And I got it - barely. On the last lap, I knew it was close and I had to throw in a 77-second lap for an official time of 34:58.20.

Scott, Bruce and I celebrated by going out for Indian food. Bruce loves naan and has even learned the word.